Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series: Hydrogen engine rumoured

The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series may be about to become a zero-emissions vehicle.

Japanese magazine Best Car reports Toyota is currently working on a hydrogen-fuelled internal-combustion engine, with the new-generation LandCruiser tipped to receive the powertrain first.

Unlike hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, which are essentially electric vehicles with the added ability to convert hydrogen into electricity, this new engine would replace conventional fuel with hydrogen – igniting the substance just like petrol or diesel, but with virtually no harmful emissions.

Toyota has been vocal about wanting to keep the internal combustion engine (ICE) alive, forming an alliance with Subaru and Mazda in November in an effort to ensure they continue to be used, in the face of the wider auto industry’s shift towards electric powertrains.

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In May 2021, Toyota showed off a Corolla endurance racing car, which used a GR Yaris engine converted to run purely on hydrogen.

“What makes hydrogen special is that its combustion speed is eight times that of gasoline. That means a faster response. So low-speed torque almost immediately after the get-go and torque-strong response are what make hydrogen engines so good,” Gazoo Racing president Koji Sato said at the time.

“However, hydrogen’s quick burn rate results in high pressure and high temperatures, making heat management a technical issue. So, it becomes a matter of how to find a good balance for maximum output.”

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In December 2021, Toyota showed off a hydrogen-powered GR Yaris, with company president Akio Toyoda saying: “We’ve taken the first step to compete with and develop our hydrogen-powered engine with the mindset of taking on the challenge.”

However, it’s not the first time a production car has used hydrogen as a fuel. Between 2005 and 2007, BMW offered a special 7 Series model powered by a V12 engine which could accept both hydrogen and petrol.

The latest report out of Japan, citing an anonymous source from within Toyota, says the hydrogen LandCruiser is the “star of hope for internal-combustion engines,” but did not provide a timeframe on when the new powertrain could be expected.