With high consumer demand continuing to grow, Toyota has identified new opportunities in the commercial vehicle market in terms of offering environmentally friendly and zero emission vehicle products.
The Toyota Hilux, as a light commercial vehicle (LCV) which is famous for its powerful diesel engine, is now being transformed into a double cabin pickup powered by fuel cell electricity or hydrogen.
In developing the prototype vehicle, Toyota Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK Ltd. (TMUK/Toyota UK), as the leader of the consortium, has worked closely with several UK-based engineering partners consisting of Ricardo, ETL, D2H, and Thatcham Research.
Thanks to Toyota’s holistic approach to mobility across all sectors, the Japanese manufacturer successfully applied for APC funding to the UK government to present the Hilux Hydrogen project to contribute to new, cleaner technologies and mobility solutions.
Matt Harrison, President & CEO of Toyota Motor Europe said that this funding is a tremendous opportunity to develop a zero emission solution as the UK is one of the main pickup markets and an important market for Toyota.
“We would like to thank the UK Government for funding related to the development of a fuel cell powered powertrain for the Toyota Hilux, which supports our carbon neutrality ambition,” he said in his official statement, Saturday (3/12/2022).
Although not yet informed about the specifications, Toyota reports that the Hilux Hydrogen prototype is planned to be developed by adopting Toyota’s second-generation fuel cell components such as those used in the latest Toyota Mirai.
As project leader, the Toyota Motor Europe (TME) R&D team will provide expert technical support to enable the UK-based team to build on its expertise to develop next-generation hydrogen drivetrain capabilities.
Meanwhile, Ricardo, as a global strategic engineering and environmental consultant specializing in the transport, energy and scarce resources sectors will support the technical integration of fuel cell components into the Hilux chassis.
Meanwhile, a European thermodynamics company (ETL) committed to providing high-integrity thermal solutions through excellence in design and innovation will support in delivering advanced thermal management solutions to Hilux Hydrogen.
D2H, on the other hand, will provide high-tech engineering services in thermodynamic simulations. Meanwhile, Thatcham Research will support in terms of crash safety features and insurance ratings on this Hilux Hydrogen prototype.
The development of Hilux Hydrogen is one of Toyota’s strategies in realizing its carbon neutrality mission through the ‘Multi-Pathway’ strategy which offers a line-up of electrified vehicles ranging from Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, Battery Electric and Fuel Cell Electric.
Within the scope of the offer, the Toyota Hilux Hydrogen prototype vehicle is planned to enter the production stage quickly at the TMUK factory in Burnaston, England in 2023.
This project is an exciting opportunity to investigate additional applications of Toyota’s fuel cell technology in the commercial vehicle segment which is key to a number of industries and will help support the sector’s move towards decarbonization.
