Toyota Racing to debut liquid-hydrogen race prototype at Le Mans, with public demo laps on June 11 and 13

Toyota Racing says it will hold the first public demonstration drives of its liquid hydrogen-fuelled TR LH2 Racing Prototype next week at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the venue for the 94th Le Mans 24 Hours on June 10 to 14. Liquid hydrogen, stored at cryogenic temperatures, is intended to feed a hydrogen combustion engine for driving, rather than producing electricity through a fuel cell. The campaign is positioned as a technical development step for Toyota’s hydrogen work in motorsport, with Toyota stressing the role of motorsports in advancing both the technology and supporting infrastructure discussions.

Toyota’s release links the TR LH2 prototype to its Le Mans race program by saying the demonstration car is based on the same chassis as the TR010 HYBRID Hypercar that will compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 13 to 14. For fans, Toyota says the key moment will be two public demonstration lap sessions featuring the TR LH2’s hydrogen combustion sound and “sensation” on the 13.626-kilometer circuit.

The planned public runs are scheduled for Thursday, June 11 at 12:50 p.m. CEST and Saturday, June 13 at 12:45 p.m. CEST, according to Toyota and FIA World Endurance Championship coverage. Toyota did not specify how many laps the prototype will complete in those sessions, but it described them as “demonstration laps” rather than race-distance preparation.

Before the on-track demos, the TR LH2 prototype will be displayed to spectators at Le Mans’ Hydrogen Village. Toyota says the Hydrogen Village will be officially opened on Wednesday, June 10, while MissionH24, the event program tied to ACO hydrogen activities, describes the hydrogen village experience running from Tuesday, June 9 to Sunday, June 14. MissionH24 also says the village will include an operational refueling station and public-facing refueling demonstrations, underscoring the practical element of hydrogen logistics alongside the technology show.

Le Mans’ broader hydrogen program includes refueling hardware built for demonstration activities. The 24 Hours of Le Mans organizer reports that a Hydrogen Village refueling setup featuring a 700-bar hydrogen station from TotalEnergies will be operational during the week, aligning the on-track demonstrations with visible refueling moments for spectators. Toyota’s TR LH2 debut sits within that wider Hydrogen Village context, alongside other hydrogen-powered prototypes.

Toyota framed the TR LH2 project as a continuation of earlier hydrogen engine development steps in racing. The company points to its Rookie Racing participation in Japan’s Super Taikyu series with the ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept, using gaseous hydrogen starting in 2021, followed by a liquid hydrogen-powered car introduced in 2023. It also cites hydrogen engine demonstrations in rallying, including GR Yaris H2 runs associated with Ypres Rally (as well as later GR Yaris rally concepts at events including Rally Finland and Rallye Monte-Carlo), and says hydrogen concepts were shown at Le Mans in 2023 and in liquid form with the GR LH2 Racing Concept presented last year.

Toyota has not disclosed operational specifics beyond the demo-lap schedule and the fact that the TR LH2 will be shown to fans at the Hydrogen Village. In particular, the company did not publish details on performance targets, energy consumption, cryogenic storage design parameters, or whether any data from the demonstration will be directly reused for an upcoming competitive hydrogen program. What is clear is that Toyota’s Le Mans race entry in this weekend’s 24-hour event remains the TR010 HYBRID Hypercar, while the TR LH2 prototype is being positioned for public demonstration and technology development.