Watch Best Motoring Test a Hydrogen-Powered Corolla Prototype Built by Toyota

Toyota is no stranger to alternative fuels. The gigantic Japanese automaker has been selling a hydrogen-powered car, the Mirai, since 2014. And despite the mass adoption of fully electric vehicles, it has no plans to stop investing in the development of hydrogen vehicles. That's abundantly clear, as evidenced by a new hydrogen-powered Corolla track car prototype, shown for the first time on Japanese-language car show Best Motoring.

Toyota invited two of Best Motoring's drivers, Keiichi Tsuchiya and Nobuteru Taniguchi, to get behind the wheel of the caged, stripped out track special Corolla to convince them and their viewers that hydrogen is the future. Development of the car has only been going on for a year, and as such, Best Motoring is the first to touch this car outside of Toyota. We're not jealous. Not one bit.

The car itself doesn't look much different from a standard Corolla hatch from the outside, save for all the racing upgrades. Inside there's a full cage and a wall of carbon fiber separating the driver cabin from the rest of the car. Toyota says the hydrogen powertrain can rev to 6500 rpm, and produce over 300 horsepower. All of the extra drivetrain bits have added a fair bit of heft, too, with Toyota claiming a curb weight of roughly 3700 pounds.

After a run-through of the car, Tsuchiya and Taniguchi take turns lapping Tsukuba circuit in an unmodified, factory-fresh GR Yaris to get a bearing of how a well-tuned hot hatch should drive. Then, each takes a turn in the hydrogen Corolla. Both drivers marvel at the sound and power, but also mention the downsides of the extra weight. Overall it's a positive experience, one we hope can make it to the mainstream at some point in the future.

via The Drive

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