At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, English actor, comedian and writer Rowan Atkinson showed his support for alternative fuels by driving a specially prepared Toyota GR Yaris H2. Atkinson, who many know as Mr Bean and Johnny English, is a staunch supporter of the internal combustion engine and owns many cars, including a regular GR Yaris.
In a video interview posted by Toyota UK, Atkinson explained that the GR Yaris H2 still uses its standard 1.6 litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, albeit with a tweaked engine management system so it can fun on hydrogen.
This is not a fuel cell vehicle where electricity is generated to be stored in a battery which then powers an electric motor. Instead, hydrogen is burned in the combustion chamber, and without any petrol used (hydrocarbon), there’s no CO2 produced, with water vapour being the only product.
Toyota has been testing hydrogen-powered engines in competitive racing, with the initiative being part of the company’s multi-pathway strategy to carbon neutrality. Rather than focusing solely on electric vehicles, the carmaker is providing multiple powertrain solutions (efficient internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell hybrids) to tackle carbon emissions.
There are several development vehicles aside from the GR Yaris H2, including the Corolla Cross Hydrogen Concept and GR H2 Racing Concept, the latter serving as a preview for a hydrogen-powered Le Mans race car set to compete at 2026 edition of the renowned endurance race.
Despite his beliefs, Atkinson actually loves EVs, as he states in his article for the Guardian. Despite mentioning he feels “duped” in the piece, the electrical and electronic engineering major said companies should explore alternative fuels, including hydrogen, as a way to promote the sustainability of the internal combustion engine.
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