It is increasingly common to see how the car is becoming electrified in practically all its segments. However, the pick-up are one of the few that remain out of trends, with diesel as the main fuel. It is quite logical, since it is ideal for the autonomy that it allows them to have and the performance that is achieved at low revs. But to ensure its long-term permanence, its existence must also be reconsidered. For this reason, a prototype of Toyota Hilux that runs on hydrogen.
This is a project that has been developed in the United Kingdom, forming part of the Advanced Propulsion Center (APC) British. It is a government initiative to encourage new cleaner technologies and mobility solutions. It has been joined by a consortium formed by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (the subsidiary there), along with other specialists Ricardo, ETL, D2H and Thatcham Research to transform a diesel Toyota Hilux e install a fuel cell to make it work more efficiently.
On a technical level, you see a system that has been created by the Toyota Motor Europe (TME) R&D team and that could have elements in common with the Toyota Mirai. Under the hood goes the fuel cell with the main electric motor that could deliver around 200 CV (in the Mirai it stays at 182 CV). There is a second power unit on the rear axle for get all wheel drive and that the pick-up does not lose its capabilities. In addition, you can see a battery and three hydrogen tanks.
Unlike the Mirai, where they are placed in a T-shape, here all three go online in the area that goes under the seats and under the cargo box. It is possible that this hydrogen Toyota Hilux has less capacity in that area than the diesel, but it would be a lesser evil. In exchange, you could get a range of about 600 kilometers and that fast refueling that characterizes hydrogen. “Only” would need to develop the infrastructure to make it viable. Luckily, the brand at the moment only plans make a series of prototypes in 2023 to check the feasibility of the technology and collect data.