{"id":39255,"date":"2023-12-11T10:45:44","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T10:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=39255"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:34:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T11:34:31","slug":"toyota-hilux-new-insight-into-hydrogen-fuelled-light-commercial-vehicles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/toyota-hilux-new-insight-into-hydrogen-fuelled-light-commercial-vehicles\/39255\/","title":{"rendered":"Toyota Hilux: A new insight into hydrogen-fuelled light commercial vehicles"},"content":{"rendered":"
The recent unveiling of the hydrogen-powered Toyota Hilux at Cenex-Low Carbon Vehicle & Cenex-Connected Automated Mobility 2023 has been hailed as a major breakthrough for the Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) and Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sectors.<\/p>\n
Built on the chassis of the iconic Hilux, the new powertrain uses core elements from the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric saloon \u2013 technology that has proven its quality and reliability over almost ten years of commercial production. When driven, the fuel cell produces no tailpipe emissions other than pure water. A total of ten prototypes will be made for the project in Derbyshire, with some used as customer demonstrators and the remainder being used for static and dynamic testing to ensure the vehicle can meet the high standards required of a production model. If successful, it could open new possibilities for UK industry.<\/p>\n
The Toyota Hilux and similar vehicles of this type are used in a multitude of environments \u2013 both on-and off-road \u2013 and for a variety of applications such as people movement, utility-based services, and emergency response. This is a great alternative powertrain system for end-users and customers supporting wider initiatives of organisations to lower their environmental impact.<\/p>\n
Nusrat Ghani, Minister for Industry and Economic Security, speaking about the ground-breaking vehicle, said: \u201cWe have an amazing manufacturing sector here in the UK, and this is another great example. It\u2019s fantastic to see Toyota reach another milestone on their journey to zero emissions here in Britain, and I congratulate the project team for their success on this cutting-edge development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UK is leading the way in next-generation car manufacturing, and this is yet another example of how the UK Government\u2019s backing is helping our automotive industry lead the charge towards net zero.\u201d<\/p>\n
So just how will this achievement open up new possibilities for the industry, and how will it help to achieve the goal of decarbonisation?<\/p>\n
Firstly, to understand why the development of this Toyota Hilux \u2013 which was funded by a \u00a35.6m government grant deployed through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK\u2019s (APC) Collaborative Research and Development funding stream (\u00a311.4m total project funding) \u2013 is so important it is prudent to look at how the industry is currently using Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-led LCV and LDV units.<\/p>\n
A Statista report<\/a> predicts that the pick-up truck market will see revenues of $117.1m (approximately \u00a394m) in 2023, with a growth rate of 1.58% by 2027.<\/p>\n Information provided<\/a> by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that 22,205 new pick-ups have been sold so far in the UK in 2023. In total, there were 248,000 new light goods vehicle registrations in 2022, according to an S&P Global report.<\/p>\n It is in the commercial sector that many of these registrations are taking place. Pick-up trucks are the backbone of many businesses that operate in rural areas. In the forestry industry, for example, pick-ups are used to traverse across vast and often uneven terrain, where getting to and from each location may take several hours while covering many hundreds of miles in a day.<\/p>\n Stopping to recharge a battery would eat into valuable working time and come with significant business costs. It is a similar situation in the mining industry, where charging an electric vehicle<\/a> could happen on site at a quarry or mine, but given the logistics of such operations, would likely involve using a diesel-powered generator to provide the electricity needed by a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) charger. This would, of course, defeat the purpose of having a \u2018green\u2019 vehicle solution.<\/p>\n When we consider urban use, pick-ups and other LCVs that are used in the delivery and transport of tools and materials, trades such as the construction trade or horticultural services would also clearly benefit from a hydrogen-fuelled vehicle\u2019s ability to quickly refuel on the go between jobs and further boosting productivity and profitability.<\/p>\nThe challenges of a hydrogen-powered pick-up truck<\/h3>\n