Hydrogen Fueled Toyota Hilux Presented In England

Toyota has launched a hydrogen-fueled Toyota Hilux variant as part of a cooperation program with the British government worth 70 million or around IDR 1.3 trillion to present alternative zero emissions vehicles suitable for various purposes in remote areas in the UK.

This hydrogen-powered variant began to be developed in early 2022 and uses components from Toyota's second-generation hydrogen fuel cell system.

The existing system on Hilux is the same as the latest Toyota Mirai, allowing it to reach a range of more than 365 miles or 587 km. This makes it suitable for commercial operations in remote areas where electric vehicle charging is impractical.

The battery is used to store electricity produced by fuel cells, and placed on the back deck so as not to interfere with the cabin.

The project is led by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) together with British-based technical engineering companies such as Ricardo, ETL, D2H, and Thatcham Research. Toyota's European research and development team also helped the project become independent.

"Tim dari proyek ini telah melakukan pekerjaan luar biasa dalam waktu yang sangat singkat, mulai dari menciptakan area prototif hingga penyelesaian kendaraan pertama. Pendanaan pemerintah Inggris memungkinkan kami tidak hanya mengembangkan kendaraan baru dalam waktu singkat, tetapi juga meningkatkan ketampilan tim kami untuk bekerja pada teknologi terkait hydrogen - sesuatu yang kami harap akan kami pengembangkan di masa depan," ungkap Richard Kenworthy, Direktur Manajer TUMK, dikutip dari Autocar, Selasa, 5 September.

In total, the program accepts 11.3 million from government funds, which will support the project for three years and facilitate more than 250 jobs across the UK over the next decade. The project will join other projects including tractors powered by agricultural waste and hydrogen-powered trucks.

"This funding is a great opportunity to develop zero-emission solutions in critical market segments," added Matt Harrison, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe.

He also said that these five related projects would involve 3300 jobs across the UK, including to produce renewable fuels, powerful and highly efficient electric motors, and new materials that would reduce the carbon footprint of the automotive industry.

Previously, VOI had also reported the seriousness of the British government on hydrogen vehicle technology by preparing a number of its infrastructures.