Toyota's latest innovation improves fuel efficiency of hydrogen cars
Toyota is revolutionizing hydrogen-powered vehicle technology with a new liquid hydrogen system. Liquid hydrogen offers a higher energy density than gaseous hydrogen, enabling longer driving ranges. However, a natural process called boil-off can lead to fuel loss during storage. Toyota's innovative solution addresses this issue by incorporating a "self-pressurizer" into the system. This technology captures the escaping boil-off gas and compresses it, transforming it into reusable fuel to improve the overall efficiency of the vehicle.
Toyota's solution to hydrogen boil-off gas wastage
The company demonstrated the self-pressurizer at the Super Taikyu Series 2024 race. The device "uses the pressure of the boil-off gas to increase pressure by two to four times and produce reusable fuel without using any additional energy." The goal is to use any excess boil-off in a compact fuel cell package that will power the hydrogen pump motor for increased efficiency.
Expert praises Toyota's innovative approach to hydrogen storage
Dr. Jacob Leachman, a professor at Washington State University, admitted that liquid hydrogen vehicles are difficult to store and set up systems for. He noted that "hydrogen pumps are the most failure-prone components in all hydrogen systems—cryogenic or gaseous." "What Toyota seems to have cleverly done is develop a hydrogen pump that harnesses part of the cold energy for compression purposes—an advance needed by anyone developing cold hydrogen vehicles," Leachman said.
