Toyota Defies EV Tide: Liquid Hydrogen Hypercar Shocks Le Mans Paddock

Racing prototypes don’t usually run on rocket fuel. But Toyota apparently missed that memo, rolling into Le Mans with their GR LH2 Racing Concept—a hypercar that burns liquid hydrogen instead of old-fashioned gasoline. While everyone else is busy shoving batteries into everything with wheels, Toyota’s engineers went full mad scientist mode.

The thing looks like their GR010 HYBRID that’s been tearing up the World Endurance Championship. Same 5100mm length, same 2050mm width, same menacing stance. But underneath? That’s where it gets weird. They’ve crammed in a hydrogen combustion engine paired with a hybrid system, all developed at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Centre.

The whole setup requires cryogenic storage systems that keep the liquid hydrogen cold enough to make Antarctica jealous. Toyota hasn’t spilled the beans on horsepower numbers, but they’re hinting it’ll match their current hybrid race cars. Which means it’ll be stupidly fast. The surprise? This thing only spits out water vapor. No carbon emissions, no guilt trips from environmental activists. Just pure speed and steam. Unlike fossil fuel vehicles, this technology offers zero air pollution while maintaining high performance capabilities.

They revealed this science experiment at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours, right in the H2 Village where all the hydrogen nerds hang out. Smart move. But here’s the reality check—it’s not racing yet. Toyota’s playing the long game, running demonstrations and tests while figuring out how to actually fuel this thing at race tracks. Turns out, liquid hydrogen infrastructure isn’t exactly sitting around at your local gas station. The FIA just approved hydrogen safety regulations at a recent World Motor Sport Council meeting, which at least means someone’s taking this seriously.

This isn’t Toyota’s first hydrogen rodeo either. They’ve been messing with this stuff for years, including that hydrogen-powered GR Yaris that showed up at the Ypres Rally in 2022. Before that, their Rookie Racing team was already burning hydrogen in a modified Corolla during Japan’s Super Taikyu series. The difference now? They’ve gone from compressed gas to liquid, which is like switching from a BB gun to a bazooka regarding complexity.

The whole project screams Toyota’s multi-path approach to saving the planet. While other manufacturers bet everything on batteries, Toyota’s hedging like a paranoid investor. Maybe they’re onto something. Or maybe they just really hate the idea of silent race cars.