Sharjah24 – Reuters: As U.N. climate conference delegates considered how to save the planet over the weekend in Glasgow, Toyota Motor's chief executive was in Japan racing an experimental hydrogen car - a vehicle he says could preserve millions of auto jobs.

The colourful Toyota Corolla Sport that Akio Toyoda steered around the Okayama International Circuit in western Japan was powered by a converted GR Yaris engine running on hydrogen. Making such a powerplant commercially viable could keep internal combustion engines running in a carbon-free world.

"The enemy is carbon, not internal combustion engines. We shouldn't just focus on one technology but make use of the technologies we already posses," Toyoda said at the track. "Carbon neutrality is not about one having a single choice, but about keeping options open."

Toyota's latest push into hydrogen tech comes as the world's biggest carmaker joins the rush to win a share of the growing market for battery electric vehicles (BEV) as the world tightens emission regulations to meet carbon-cutting pledges.

By 2025, Toyota plans to have 15 EV models available and is investing $13.5 billion over a decade to expand battery production.