Toyota sent hydrogen Hilux pickup truck with Mirai equipment for testing

The Japanese company is currently testing ten prototypes of a future new product with an alternative “filling” in Europe. The cruising range of such a pickup truck will be about 600 km.

Toyota has been in the niche hydrogen car market for about a decade now. So, at the end of 2014, sales of the Mirai sedan started in Japan, and later it reached other markets. The model changed generations in 2020, and in the spring of this year it underwent an update: the changes improved safety. Let us remember that last fall the company recognized the Mirai project as a failure due to very modest sales (about 2 thousand copies per year on the global market).

In the photo: prototype of the Toyota Hilux hydrogen pickup truck

Then, in October 2023, Toyota explained that they intended to continue to develop hydrogen cars, but the focus would be shifted to the commercial vehicle sector. Now the Japanese are preparing for the debut of a new modification of the Hilux pickup truck, which will run on fuel cells. So far, the manufacturer has shown prototypes of the future truck, which are undergoing road tests.

Let us remind you that the project was officially announced in December 2022. Developers from the company's British division have created ten prototypes of the hydrogen Toyota Hilux, which are currently being tested in Europe. Visually, the FCEV pickup truck is no different from the regular version of this model, its length is the same 5325 mm (extended cab version), width – 1855 mm (with mirrors), height – 1810 mm, and the distance between the axles is 3085 mm.

The main difference between the new modification of the pickup truck is its “filling”, which it borrowed from the Mirai sedan. This Hilux was equipped with three hydrogen cylinders (their total capacity is 7.8 kg), under the hood there is a fuel cell with a polymer electrolyte, which generates energy and stores it in a lithium-ion battery. The rear wheels are driven by an electric motor, the output of which is 182 hp, the maximum torque is 300 Nm.

So far, the manufacturer has not declassified the dynamic characteristics of the hydrogen Hilux pickup truck: information about the maximum speed and acceleration time from zero to “hundreds” will appear later. According to preliminary data, the range without refueling of this “hydrogen car” is approximately 600 km.

The Japanese company is now continuing to develop a new generation of fuel cells. It is expected that the brand's production models will receive them in 2026-2027. The company believes that by this time it will be possible to significantly reduce production costs, and therefore reduce the cost of such machines, as well as significantly expand their range.

Note that the current “regular” Toyota Hilux pickup truck has recently undergone a restyling: details about the updated model intended for the Australian market appeared at the end of last winter. The truck received a number of external changes, as well as a 48-volt mild-hybrid add-on, with which a 2.8-liter turbodiesel (204 hp, 500 Nm) works in tandem. Paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.