Toyota Hilux FCEV Begins Development in UK, Prototype Ready by 2023

The impending automobile electrification has prompted ‘traditional’ automakers in producing their own EV models, as well as spurring births of many EV brands. For some ‘traditional’ brands, going full EV is not the sole option going forward, albeit tightening regulations breathing down their necks, as they believe there are still other carbon-neutral alternatives to fiddle with. One of such is hydrogen fuel cells.

As a long-time advocate for hydrogen fuel cell EVs (FCEVs), Toyota began to develop an all-new FCEV model based on its Hilux pick-up truck in the UK. The new Hilux FCEV will mark a new milestone in the marque’s history with hydrogen-powered vehicles, with the Toyota Mirai being its latest FCEV iteration, to date.

Said development commences after the Japanese marque’s UK manufacturing arm, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) secured a £11.3 million (approx. RM60.9 million) worth of government grant as part of the Westminster's plan to find alternatives for zero-emission vehicles in the Kingdom.

This FCEV development will see the conventional, diesel-powered Hilux swap its 2.4-litre mill for a new FCEV powertrain setup, said to be derived from the one featured in Toyota Mirai FCEV. Manufacturing of the new Hilux FCEV prototypes will commence at TMUK’s Burnaston plant in 2023.

Should the prototype garner success, TMUK will start small-scale production for the new Hilux FCEV, poised for either private or commercial usage, especially in rural areas and city outskirts.

Helping TMUK in the development of the new Hilux FCEV is Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) R&D team, alongside few other UK-based tech engineering firms such as Ricardo, ETL, D2H and Thatcham Research. While at it, TME will also support TMUK in technical departments in helping Toyota's UK plants to be self-sufficient in future’s time.

In-line with Toyota’s shift in its EV plans, the new Hilux FCEV will serve as an excellent carbon-neutral alternative in the EV-laden UK market space, especially for folks living in the countryside, where EV chargers are far more scarce compared to urban areas.

Aside from Toyota, other ‘traditional’ carmakers such as BMW and Honda have also conjured their own FCEV alternatives that will go alongside their growing EV line-ups.

Given the sheer popularity of Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks in our homeland, will we ever get the FCEV Hilux in the future? As a fellow right-hand drive (RHD) country, bringing the UK-made Hilux FCEVs into our local market should not be a huge hassle for both TMUK and UMW Toyota Malaysia, logically speaking.

To date, we have yet to receive any electrified or hybrid-powered pickups in our country. Plus, most of our local pickup trucks run exclusively on diesel, with the petrol V6-powered 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor being the only exception.