Toyota sets world record for distance covered on hydrogen

Toyota has set a new record for distance travelled on one tank of hydrogen using its latest Mirai, which is propelled by fuel-cell electric power.

Electric vehicles obviously bring a lot of excitement in terms of technology. But range covered remains a concern for many motorists looking to make the switch.

This explains why Toyota is thrilled by its introduction of a new hydrogen-burning engine, which it says holds big potential for the company, the industry and global carbon neutrality.

The Guinness World Record for greatest distance driven on a single tank of any kind of fuel is occupied by a Volkswagen Passat 1.6 TDI, which went 1,581.88 miles on one tank of diesel in 2011. The average consumption for that record attempt was just above 76 mpg.

The journey towards setting the Hydrogen record started on May 26, 2021 in a Hysetco hydrogen filling station in Orly, France.

After brimming the trio of tanks with 5.6 kilogrammes (12 pounds) of hydrogen, the journey began. The exact route was not released, but the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle managed to cruise a mighty 1,003km (623 miles) from a single fill-up – the Japanese automaker lists an EPA-rated range of up to 420 miles.

Toyota reportedly used a team of four drivers to get the Mirai to the finish.

After crunching the numbers, engineers worked out that the steady-sipping Mirai’s average fuel consumption was 0.55kg/100km – in the US, Toyota quotes 65 miles per gallon equivalent combined.

Analysts note that while this is great news for the future of alternative fuels, there is some catching up to do when it comes to infrastructure in the states.

For instance, at present, there are only 39 hydrogen filling stations in the United States, with the majority of them located in California.

Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, said at the launch of the hydrogen engine, “We want to expand the choices available on the path to carbon neutrality.”

He stated this after the automaker’s Corolla H2 with a hydrogen-powered engine finished the 24-hour race at Fuji Speedway, a motorsport race track in Japan.

According to a release by the automaker, while the rival racers are all burning gasoline (petrol), its engine is powered by hydrogen — and it is churning out virtually no carbon dioxide.

Fuel-cell electrified vehicles such as Toyota Mirai use a fuel cell in which hydrogen chemically reacts with oxygen in the air to produce electricity that powers an electric motor.

Hydrogen engines are said to generate power through the combustion of hydrogen using fuel supply and injection systems that have been modified from those used with petrol engines. Except for the combustion of minute amounts of engine oil during driving, which is also the case with petrol engines, hydrogen engines emit zero CO2 when in use.

Combustion in hydrogen engines occurs at a faster rate than in petrol engines, resulting in a characteristic of good responsiveness.

While having excellent environmental performance, hydrogen engines also have the potential to relay the fun of driving through sounds and vibrations.