Over the years, Toyota has made quite a buzz for its alternative energy ideas, and forward-thinking fueling goals. Does anyone recall that hydrogen-powered 5.0-liter V8 RC-F engine that Toyota commissioned a couple of years back? Yeah, pretty forward-thinking stuff indeed.
But hydrogen engines and (yawn) hybrid motors aren’t the only things that Toyota is dabbling in. As more and more people discover that their EV batteries are far worse for the environment and human health than automakers would have you know, alternative fuels have quickly become the hot topic of discussion.
Take all of the buzz surrounding that engine that Toyota built in collaboration with Chinese automaker GAC Motor. Apparently, this thing is designed to slurp on ammonia and produce power without any carbon dioxide emissions from the tailpipe.
But while there is a ton of talk about Toyota cannibalizing its EV sales with a project of this caliber, the topic of using ammonia as a viable fuel source for internal combustion engines is far more fascinating to us over here at EngineLabs.
After all, isn’t ammonia extremely dangerous and quite detrimental to the environment when converted to a liquid form?
Ammonia is made up of one Nitrogen molecule and three Hydrogen molecules.
Break Out Your Pocket Protectors Kids… It’s Science Time!
One part nitrogen atom, and three parts hydrogen atom, good ol’ Uncle Ammonia has long retained his spot within the “NH3” slot in the scientific table. Molecularly speaking, he’s really not that bad of a dude either at first glance.
Being that there really aren’t any carbon atoms present, CO2 production levels from burning ammonia seem about as low as you can go. But start to consider the energy and equipment required to make the stuff viable as a source of fuel for a combustion engine, and you’ve got a fat batch of fresh variables to consider.
Much like Toyota Denso’s “microalgae biofuel project” from a few years back (which we haven’t heard much about since 2015), ammonia requires an insane amount of power to be converted into a viable source of fuel.
Sure, you could convert the hydrogen atoms within the ammonia into a fuel cell source to produce electricity. But that would entail Toyota and GAC popping a fresh teet into the mouth of a rapidly growing EV toddler that they just swore to ween.
This leaves us with the most likely, and “easily” obtainable option: Give ol’ Uncle Ammonia a strong cocktail mix, and hope that he has the power to stand on his own when it’s all said and done.
Ammonia as a motor vehicle fuel would require a significant change to current infrastructures, both in ammonia production and fuel storage and transportation. Photo Credit: ChargeDrive/YouTube
Ammonia Spiked Hunch-Punch Anyone?
This fueling advancement may sound like breaking news, but according to the Ammonia Energy Association, Toyota has been dabbling in ammonia alternative fueling options for quite some time. Hell, last we checked the corrosive chemical compound was still being used alongside an organic slurry pulled straight from the surrounding farmlands to p
