• Toyota introduced an electric Hilux pickup truck in concept form in Thailand.
• The manufacturer is also developing a hydrogen variant.
• The Hilux is not available here, but our Toyota vans could one day benefit from technologies developed for other markets.
• Toyota boss Akio Toyoda says all-electric models aren’t the only way to achieve carbon neutrality.
Yesterday, we reported rumors about the next generation of the Tacoma pickup truck, expected for the year 2024 at Toyota. No, the latter will not be electric, but a hybrid engine could well be part of the equation.
A step in the right direction for those campaigning for an all-electric vehicle fleet. Another step will eventually be taken by Toyota if we rely on what the company has just unveiled in Thailand. Indeed, as part of a party celebrating the brand’s 60th anniversary there, the firm took the opportunity to present an all-electric version of the compact van it offers on this market and elsewhere in the world, the Hilux.
The Hilux Revo BEV concept shared the stage with another study, the IMV 0, a light commercial vehicle. To present the models, there was none other than the president and CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda. The latter did not provide information on the electric Hilux, but he mentioned that some of the development work for this model was carried out in Thailand. The Hilux is super popular there.
Interestingly, Akio Toyota claimed during his speech that all-electric models aren’t the only way to achieve carbon neutrality goals. We know that Toyota believes in a plurality of solutions to achieve this.
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Incidentally, Toyota also announced that it had started work on a hydrogen-powered Hilux after receiving help from the British government through a program for the development of “zero emission” vehicles. That’s all we know for the moment, except that Toyota plans to take an existing Hilux and add a fuel cell to it using its own second-generation technology, notably present under the hood of the Mirai.
In this case, the hydrogen tanks will be stored under the cabin and the fuel cell will replace the combustion engine in the engine compartment.
Obviously, the Hilux is not intended for our market, but it is interesting to observe how Toyota approaches the electrification of its range elsewhere in the world. Once the technology has been developed, it can then easily be grafted onto other models, this time intended for our market.
To be continued…