Why is Toyota committed to developing hydrogen fuel technologies? Why go for hydrogen fuel, the most abundant element in the universe, when it isn’t abundantly used here on earth? Recently Toyota revealed the GR Yaris H2 prototype. The H2 moniker references that this combustion-engined Toyota is powered by hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen is very difficult to make and store, it is very combustible and prone to leaking. And when it does leak, because it is an invisible gas, it burns with an ‘invisible’ flame. If you can avoid all these obstacles, and if you happen to be part of the hydrogen supply chain, then you will know that process of making hydrogen is extremely inefficient, dirty, and contributes more C02 than it claims to eradicate. However, there is an upside to this hypocrisy, hydrogen fuel is clean and has zero emissions. But as I said, the process to make it is very dirty.
And this is where the Toyota GR Yaris H2 slots neatly into place. Autocar billed it as a four-wheel-drive hot hatch. Now, that is interesting because it’s an example of a motoring publication trying to subliminally supplant the idea that hydrogen technology in the form of a hot hatch (that possibly rides like it is on rails) is cool. One presumes Autocar is trying to make hydrogen appealing by using the term “hot hatch” which is a trigger mechanism for the average petrolhead. Judging by the reader comments below the article, it appears even Autocar readers are calling out the ra-ra cheerleading.
The Yaris GR H2 has been reported in a similar fashion elsewhere. That is to say a lack of critical analysis. We’re not picking on Autocar, but they do have the best of the best writers and editors, but where is the critical analysis? Nevertheless, according to the Autocar article, the Yaris GR H2 allows Toyota to meet zero-emissions targets easily and affordably. But that isn’t exactly true, that is to say, it is not true because if hydrogen was affordable why is it more expensive than gasoline to make and buy at retail?
Why is hydrogen more expensive to produce? why is hydrogen more energy-intensive to make than drilling and extracting for oil? Why is hydrogen difficult to store? why is hydrogen not abundantly used if it is the most abundant element in the universe? None of these basic questions is asked by the best of the best motoring journalists in the business. We’re not even trained journalists here at DCBHQ, and if we, the dumbest non-journalists are asking these questions we know Autocar is also privately questioning Toyota.
The Truth About Hydrogen Fuel
So why is Toyota fixated on hydrogen fuel? It turns out that Toyota is following the position of the Japanese government who believes that Hydrogen is the best way to meet zero-emissions targets. Which is a big fat zero. So, is Toyota playing politics? merely parroting the Japanese government to gain corporate kickbacks? We have no evidence either way but can guess there is a bit you scratch my back and I’ll scratch your’s mentality behind the scenes.
Toyota’s enthusiasm for hydrogen isn’t bolstered by Japan’s support for it within the car industry. As of June 10, 2021, the number of hydrogen filling stations for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in operation in Japan amounted to 134 stations vs over 29,000 gasoline filling stations. In total Japan has around 4,000 registered hydrogen cars on the road.
What the Toyota Yaris GR H2 represents is Toyota manufacturing consent on behalf of Japan’s hydrogen fuel policy, and exporting that policy to the world in the form of a hot hatch (that rides like it’s on rails). In this case, the policy is being exported to the UK, wrapped up in an easily digestible cute-looking hot hatch (that rides like it’s on rails).
