UK to help build hydrogen-powered Toyota Hilux

The government allocated money as part of the program for the transition to alternative fuels.

From 2030, the UK intends to ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, and by this time the country plans to create cars and light commercial vehicles on environmentally friendly fuels. As the main option, the British authorities are considering hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). It is this power plant that the Toyota Hilux pickup should receive.

The Advanced Engine Center (APC), which distributes government grants for new developments, has announced the formation of a consortium led by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK’s Burnaston plant. The company, together with Ricardo, ETL, D2H and Thatcham Research, with the support of the R&D department of Toyota Motor Europe, is committed to presenting the first hydrogen-powered Toyota Hilux as early as 2023.

It is stated that this is not about new developments, but about adapting the existing power plant from the latest generation Toyota Mirai sedan to a pickup truck. The model is equipped with a 180-horsepower electric motor on the rear axle, a 175-horsepower electrochemical generator that turns hydrogen into electricity, and a hydrogen supply of 5.6 kilograms in three cylinders. The passport power reserve of such a sedan is 650 kilometers.

The pickup truck will retain the layout of the sedan’s power plant, which means rear-wheel drive and a reduced volume of the cargo compartment due to the placement of an electrochemical generator behind the passenger cabin. In 2023, the first prototypes of the model should be built, after which they will begin to be tested. Based on the results of the tests, a decision will be made on the prospects of the project and the possibility of producing hydrogen pickups in a small series.

Author: Alexander Ponomarev
Source: Motor.ru