Toyota Partners UK Firms To Develop Hydrogen-powered Hilux Prototype

Toyota teams up with UK based technical engineering partners to develop hydrogen fuel cell-powered Hilux prototype.

Project is funded by the UK Government by way of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), to the tune of $13.8 million.

Fund will allow the transformation of the popular diesel-powered Toyota Hilux truck into a fuel cell electric vehicle.

The consortium will hope the FCV Hilux will deliver the reliability and performance the Hilux nameplate is known for.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) has teamed up with highly skilled UK based technical engineering partners, namely Ricardo, ETL, D2H and Thatcham Research, to develop a hydrogen-powered Hilux pickup truck.

The project, funded by the UK Government by way of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), to the tune of $13.8 million, will allow the transformation of the popular diesel-powered Hilux truck into a fuel cell electric vehicle.

• See Also : Toyota Unveils Hydrogen-Combustion Corolla Cross H2 Concept

The upcoming electrically-propelled Hilux prototype will adopt second-generation fuel cell components used in the Toyota Mirai, a mid-size sedan which the automaker claims has a range over 400 miles.

Initial prototypes will be built at Toyota’s vehicle plant in Burnaston during 2023, which also builds the Corolla. The consortium will hope the FCV Hilux will deliver the reliability and performance the Hilux nameplate is known for.

If the project is successful, Toyota plan to put the hydrogen-powered Hilux pickup truck into “small series production”.

“The UK is one of the key markets for pick-up trucks and is an important market for Toyota. This funding represents a tremendous opportunity to develop a zero-emission solution in a critical market segment, ” says Matt Harrison, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe.

“We would like to thank the UK government for the funding that will enable the consortium to investigate the development of a fuel cell powered powertrain for the Toyota Hilux, supporting our carbon neutrality ambition.”

• See Also : BMW Starts Small-series Production Of Hydrogen-powered iX5 Model