Toyota unveils hydrogen-powered pick-up

Toyota has revealed its UK-based prototype hydrogen light commercial vehicle, developed at its Derby facility.

The car manufacturer has worked alongside the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to develop its Hilux pick-up as a hydrogen variant that is the first of its kind.

UK Government funding enabled Toyota to develop a new vehicle in “record time” says Richard Kenworthy, TMUK managing director.

He said it also allowed Toyota to “upskill our teams to work on hydrogen related technologies, something we hope to build on in the future”.

Environmental and engineering consultancy firm Ricardo, has supported Toyota with the integration of the hydrogen fuel cell, fuel storage system and controls, as well as the design, analysis and validation across all prototype vehicles.

The consultants will now look to deliver the test and analysis stage of the project, to provide data to understand the behaviour of the fuel cell electric vehicle under a wide range of real-world operating conditions, which will be used to lead future designs.

Adrian Schaffer, president of electrified and integrated mobility at Ricardo,said: “We’re delighted to have supported Toyota to get to the prototype launch phase of this incredibly important project, applying our expertise in design and engineering to help deliver successful vehicle integration.

“Our hydrogen fuel cell capabilities, alongside our experience in advanced green propulsion systems continues to grow and we’re working on several exciting projects with key partners, across industries such as aerospace and marine, exploring how hydrogen can support future decarbonisation and sustainable mobility across a myriad of sectors. This is an important milestone for the project, and the team looks forward to working with Toyota on the next phase of the project.”