The Toyota Hilux is a compact truck that is not currently available in the U.S. but is one of the best-selling small pickup trucks worldwide. Now in its eighth generation, the Hilux offers a choice of four and six cylinder engines depending on the region. There has never been an all-electric model so far, but it looks like a battery-powered model is likely in the future. And this is not just a hypothesis or a rumor as Toyota has just unveiled the Hilux electric truck prototype, possibly hinting at the upcoming production model.
The Japanese manufacturer is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its operations in Thailand with a grand jubilee event. As part of the celebrations, Toyota showed the so-called Hilux Revo BEV concept to the audience for the first time, although it was not ready to provide detailed information about the actual zero-emission truck. All we have right now is an official image and unconfirmed rumours.
The concept truck was presented on stage by Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda, who indicated that at least some of the development work for the EV truck was done in Thailand, where the Hilux is a very popular vehicle. It is a popular car. However, Toyota did not provide technical specifications for the battery-powered truck, which shared the stage with the IMV 0 concept, a light commercial vehicle prototype. Interestingly, Toyoda said during his speech that “BEVs are not the only way to achieve the world’s carbon neutrality goals.”
More recently, Toyota has also announced that it has launched Working on a hydrogen-powered Hilux After receiving funding from the UK government through the Advanced Propulsion Center (APC) for the development of zero-emission vehicles. Not much is known at the moment, but Toyota will convert an existing Hilux truck from the second generation into a fuel cell electric vehicle using its hydrogen technology. This hydrogen powertrain can be found under the hood of the Mirai and in the Hilux FCEV, the hydrogen tanks will be stored under the cab and a fuel cell stack will replace the traditional internal combustion engine in the engine bay.
