Toyota to Demonstrate Liquid Hydrogen Car at Le Mans

Toyota’s liquid hydrogen-powered prototype will run in public for the first time next weekend ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Japanese marque has announced.

The TR LH2 Racing Prototype — unveiled at Le Mans last year as the GR LH2 Racing Prototype — will conduct a pair of demonstration runs around the Circuit de la Sarthe in the run-up to the FIA World Endurance Championship blue riband, one on Thursday June 11 and the other on Saturday 13 June before the race begins.

Toyota Racing vice-chairman Kazuki Nakajima will be at the wheel for the demo runs, which will also feature the Alpine Alpenglow and the Ligier Bosch JS2 RH2.

It will mark the latest step towards Toyota fulfulling its long-held aim of competing for wins in the French endurance classic with hydrogen internal combustion power, having pioneered the technology in Super Taikyu in Japan from 2021 onwards.

The formal target date for hydrogen-powered cars to begin racing at Le Mans remains 2028, although ACO President Pierre Fillon admitted last year ahead of the 6 Hours of Fuji that the first cars may not be ready to line up the grid until after that date.

Both Fillon and Toyota have suggested that a Garage 56 slot would be the most realistic method by which a hydrogen car would race at Le Mans for the first time.

The TR LH2 Racing Prototype will also be on display in the Hydrogen Village at Le Mans, where a fully functional TotalEnergies refuelling station can also be seen.

The Le Mans demo runs will follow the GR Corolla H2 Concept contesting this weekend’s Fuji 24 Hours for the fourth time with liquid hydrogen propulsion and the sixth time in total with the quasi-works Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing team.

Driving duties will be shared between Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda (‘Morizo’), his son Daisuke, Hiroaki Ishiura, Kazuya Oshima and Nirei Fukuzumi.