In a world first, Toyota Motor Corp. entered a race with a vehicle propelled by a superconducting motor that leverages the ultra-cold nature of liquid hydrogen fuel.
The GR Corolla debuted at the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 24-hour race held June 6-7 at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, the automaker said.
The vehicle completed the race, covering 483 laps, and finished 53rd out of about 60 entries, Toyota said.
Toyota had been competing in the same race series with a hydrogen-fueled Corolla since 2021.
For the latest race, the automaker took advantage of properties in liquid hydrogen fuel, which is kept at minus 253 degrees.
At such temperatures, superconductivity occurs, in which electrical resistance drops to zero. This state leads to highly efficient power use, the company said.
Toyota co-developed the compact superconducting motor with Kyoto University to harness this phenomenon.
The design allows for a fuel tank that is more than 30 percent larger than previous models and extends the GR Corolla’s range on a single refueling, Toyota said.
The automaker said it will focus on improving the technology’s durability while developing even more compact and lightweight superconducting motors.