Toyota says its electric HiLux is on the cards for Australia - but the real fun will have to wait for a hydrogen truck next decade

Speaking to CarsGuide at the launch of the HiLux GR Sport, Toyota Australia’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, explained the fully electric version of the ute is on the cards for Australia, but won’t be the kind of go-anywhere pick-up fans might be looking for.

“I drove that car, it’s a prototype, a concept. Having said that, and having driven it, if someone hadn’t told me it was a prototype, I would have believed it’s the real deal,” he said.

“It’s a real strong pointer of where we’re going in the future. There would be a market for a 2WD BEV which could carry a reasonable load and do city miles.

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“It’s part of our process to reduce our carbon emissions, but it’s just one part of our strategy.

“Longer term, hydrogen fuel cell - that one alternative that people are giving the least amount of attention to [...] it’s a credible alternative for the future. It's not in the next five years, it’s a 2030 - 2035 horizon, and it’s one of the reasons we think we can’t put all of our eggs into one BEV basket.

“There’s all this talk around batteries - but it’s not the only solution.”

The HiLux Revo was recently shown to Australian media, said to have been brought Down Under from its international reveal in Thailand for evaluation purposes. But it was partially to also make the point that battery electric utes can’t provide what the Australian buyer expects from a ute like the current combustion HiLux.

A hydrogen concept based on the current HiLux was revealed in the UK recently.

Speaking to media at that time, Hanley said: “Honestly, who's going to buy something that wants to go off road and tow and have 800km [of range], if it’s going to be $100,000 and doesn’t do half? So therefore, that's our goal to get there.”

“A load-carrying, trailer-towing, remote area off-road HiLux four by four with zero tailpipe emissions. What a vehicle that would be. And it’s possible. But imagine the size, weight and charging time of the battery pack that you need to do all that and achieve 800 kilometres of range,” he said,

Hanley noted that Toyota was in discussions with government and industry about how to “come together and settle what is the potential of this technology moving forward” as it faces extreme difficulties rolling out expensive and wide-reaching infrastructure.

The Hilux hydrogen concept is said to have a 587km range between refills.

Hydrogen fuel can be separated from water via electrolysis or can be sourced as a byproduct from natural gas wells. It allows long driving ranges, but requires refuelling sites to be equipped with both a system for pressurisation and for refrigeration in order to prepare the fuel into a condition in which it can be used.

One of the major advantages of hydrogen fuel storage is its ability to store energy which would otherwise have been wasted in the grid, in a more cost-effective way than the alternative - which is currently lithium batteries. Once compressed, Hydrogen fuel can also be easily transported, allowing energy to be generated outside the grid, then transferred to a place where it can be utilised.

One thing is certain, if you’re hanging out for a hydrogen HiLux with all of the above abilities, it won’t be based on the current truck. The next-generation HiLux is expected to break cover as early as 2025, at which point the current (eighth-generation) frame will be 10 years old. 

The Hilux hydrogen concept uses technology from the brand's Mirai FCEV.

It is worth noting that alongside the Revo, a hydrogen concept based on the current HiLux was revealed in the UK recently, using technology from the brand's Mirai FCEV. It is said to have a 587km range between refills.

Recent updates will see the current diesel HiLux receive a 48-volt boosted auxiliary system for the next model year, as well as yet another HiLux upgrade which Hanley said would be announced early next year, but wouldn’t be drawn on further details.

At the same time, the LandCruiser 70 Series has received a major update, now with a new variant powered by the same 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine which appears in the HiLux.

Toyota will build on its truck and ute offering imminently as it looks to launch a right-hand-drive version of its American-market Tundra in 2024.