Toyota to field carbon-neutral, hydrogen cars at Thailand 10-Hour Endurance Race

MANILA: Toyota Motor Corporation will be participating at the Idemitsu Super Endurance Southeast Asia Trophy 2023 (Thailand 10-Hour Endurance Race) that will be held at Chang International Circuit in Thailand on December 22 and 23.

The Japanese carmaker will compete under Rookie Racing, fielding three vehicles including the carbon-neutral-fuel-powered ORC Rookie GR86 CNF, the hydrogen-powered ORC Rookie GR Corolla H2 concept, and the new, carbon-neutral-fuel-driven CP Rookie Prius CNF-HEV GR concept.

With the introduction of the hydrogen-powered Corolla and the GR86 running on carbon-neutral fuel, Toyota has made significant progress in its multi-pathway approach to reaching a carbon-neutral society. These two cars first took on the task of being refined in an environment other than Japan when they participated in the 2022 Thailand 25-Hour Endurance Race.

This time, Toyota is expanding the multi-pathway approach even further by incorporating a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) into its team structure. The company has upgraded the Prius with racing-ready technology to further refine HEV technology that blends driving enjoyment with fuel efficiency. This will be the first time for Toyota to race with a production Prius HEV .

The hydrogen-powered Corolla that will participate at the Thailand 10-Hour Endurance Race will be fueled by biogas produced from poultry farm chicken manure from Charoen Pokphand Group, Toyota's partner in its carbon-neutral efforts in Thailand, and food waste from Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation.

Among the drivers that will represent the Japanese carmaker at the event are Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda also known as Morizo, Masahiro Sasaki, Tatsuya Kataoka, Hiroaki Ishiura, Kazuya Oshima, Naoya Gamo, Kenta Yamashita, Hibiki Taira, Keizo Kato, and Daisuke Toyoda.

Charoen Pokphand Group Executive Committee Member Kachorn Chiaravanont will be driving the Prius.

Photos from Toyota Motor Corporation

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