Toyota readies a world-first hydrogen race car technology for the Fuji 24 Hours

Toyota Motor Corporation will compete in the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE Round 3 NAPAC Fuji 24 Hours Race on June 5 and 6 with a liquid-hydrogen-powered GR Corolla concept, the #32 TGRR GR Corolla H2. Toyota says the car is designed to introduce a “world-first” technology to racing: a superconducting liquid hydrogen pump fitted to a race vehicle.

The concept builds on prior development steps that, in Toyota’s account, have included moving from gaseous to liquid hydrogen, refining hydrogen combustion for both output and fuel efficiency, developing a pump intended for continuous operation at maximum output, and testing technology aimed at fast and safe fueling. For this event, Toyota says the liquid hydrogen-powered GR Corolla will race with a superconducting liquid hydrogen pump previously unveiled at the final round of the 2025 Super Taikyu Series.

At the technical level, Toyota describes how liquid hydrogen is fed from the tank to the engine. A pump compresses the hydrogen and transports it to the engine. Starting with this race, the motor driving the pump is upgraded from a conventional electric motor to a superconducting motor.

Toyota ties the superconducting motor to the extreme cold of liquid hydrogen, noting that superconductivity occurs only at ultra-low temperatures and that the system is built to take advantage of liquid hydrogen’s roughly -253°C environment. Toyota also says earlier versions mounted the motor unit above the tank, while the newer design relocates the entire unit inside the tank, freeing space and allowing the tank capacity to grow from 220 liters at the 2025 finale to a maximum of 300 liters, an increase of more than 1.3 times.

The redesign also changes the car’s weight distribution. Toyota says lowering the mounting position of the heavy motor unit results in a lower center of gravity, a setup change it expects to improve the vehicle’s dynamic performance during the long, punishing endurance stints.

Toyota is also bringing an unfamiliar pairing to the hydrogen program at this race, installing a Direct Automatic Transmission, or DAT, for the event. Toyota describes DAT as an automatic transmission designed to deliver shift performance competitive with manual driving, aimed at enabling faster shift speeds while reducing driver distraction from the gear lever or pedals.

Toyota said DAT will be used with a hydrogen engine for the first time. The company’s stated goal for DAT is to broaden motorsports participation by keeping the “feel” of rapid shifting while reducing the driving skill required for manual transmissions, while Toyota continues to refine performance through racing conditions.

The superconducting pump itself has already been tested in Toyota’s hydrogen racing development cycle. Toyota Times Sports, in coverage of the 2025 season’s end, said a liquid-hydrogen GR Corolla equipped with superconducting technology completed a four-hour race covering 109 laps after the durability of the fuel pump was largely confirmed, and that a first demonstration run took place during qualifying at the final round.

For all the technology, Toyota has not provided event-day performance figures or reliability outcomes in this announcement. The company’s message is focused on verification through racing conditions, not results. What to watch next is how the superconducting pumping system performs over extended run time, and whether DAT achieves the fast-shift behavior Toyota expects while the car operates under the heat, vibration, and fuel-handling demands specific to the Fuji 24 Hours format.