Toyota reveals British-built, hydrogen-fuelled Hilux Prototype pick-up
Toyota has unveiled their ground-breaking prototype hydrogen-fuelled Hilux pickup built at its car plant in Burnaston, Derby.
Using technology that produces no emissions other than pure water, which incidentally is clean enough to drink, the prototype is powered by a fuel cell developed from the zero-emission drivetrain in the Toyota Mirai saloon.
Nestled between the ladder frame chassis of the Hilux, three high-pressure tanks store hydrogen that is then delivered to a fuel cell which uses chemical reactions to convert the hydrogen into electricity. This power is stored in a small battery pack and sent to an electric motor to drive the pickup.
This gives the Hilux an expected driving range of more than 365 miles, which is significantly further than might be achieved with a battery electric system alone. The battery, which stores electricity produced on-board by the fuel cell, is positioned in the rear load deck, avoiding loss of cabin space.
If you are lucky enough to live near the three publicly accessible hydrogen filling stations in the UK, then refuelling should take no less than 10 minutes at a suitable station.
Richard Kenworthy, TMUK Managing Director, said: “The project team have accomplished an incredible job in a very short space of time, from creating the prototype build area to completion of the first vehicle. The UK Government funding has enabled us not only to develop a new vehicle in record time, but also to upskill our teams to work on hydrogen-related technologies, something we hope to build on in the future.”
The project began in early 2022 with a feasibility study undertaken by TMUK and Toyota Motor Europe with consortium partners Ricardo, ETL, D2H Advanced Technologies and Thatcham Research. Funding was subsequently gained from the UK Government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, a non-profit organisation supporting the development of cleaner technologies and new mobility concepts.
This enabled the start of an intense design and development programme from 1 July 2022, with additional support from Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). Prototype construction began on 5 June this year, working to Toyota Production System principles in a dedicated area within the TMUK facility.
The first vehicle was completed just three weeks later, the first of 10 that will be built by the end of this year. These will undergo rigorous testing around the world to ensure safety, dynamic performance, functionality and durability meet the high standards required of a production model.