A Toyota emblem displayed on a automobile in Poland. The Japanese automotive big began engaged on the event of gas cell automobiles again in 1992.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Photos
LONDON — A consortium led by automotive big Toyota will obtain thousands and thousands in funding to develop a hydrogen gas cell pickup truck within the U.Okay.
In an announcement Friday, Toyota mentioned the gas cell-powered prototype of its Hilux pickup can be developed at its plant in Burnaston, within the East Midlands of England.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK is heading up the consortium, which is being backed by £5.7 million (round $7 million) of trade funding and £5.6 million from the U.Okay. authorities. Thatcham Analysis, D2H, ETL and Ricardo are additionally concerned within the undertaking.
Though the initiative is being led by TMUK, Toyota mentioned “technical assist” would come from Toyota Motor Europe R&D.
“Inside the scope of the funding bid, preliminary prototype Hilux automobiles will probably be produced at Burnaston throughout 2023,” it added. “As soon as profitable efficiency outcomes have been secured, the intention is to organize the automobile for small collection manufacturing.”
An aerial view of the Toyota’s manufacturing plant in Burnaston, England. The Japanese automotive big began engaged on the event of gas cell automobiles again in 1992.
David Goddard | Getty Photos Information | Getty Photos
The unique model of the Hilux dates again to the Sixties, and a number of other iterations of the automobile have been developed since. The U.Okay. authorities mentioned a gas cell Hilux can be “preferrred to be used in remoted settings the place electrical automobile charging is impractical.”
Friday’s information represents Toyota’s newest transfer within the sector. The agency began engaged on the event of fuel-cell automobiles again in 1992. In 2014, it launched the Mirai, a hydrogen gas cell sedan.
Alongside the Mirai, Toyota has had a hand within the improvement of bigger hydrogen gas cell automobiles. These embrace a bus referred to as the Sora and prototypes of professional quality vehicles. In addition to gas cells, Toyota is taking a look at utilizing hydrogen in inside combustion engines.
Whereas the enterprise is thought for its hybrid and hydrogen gas cell automobiles, additionally it is making an attempt to make strikes within the more and more aggressive battery-electric market, the place companies like Tesla and Volkswagen are jostling for place.
This has not been with out its challenges and in June 2022, Toyota issued a security recall for greater than 2,000 of its all-electric SUV, the bZ4X.
This picture, from 2013, exhibits a row of Toyota Hilux pickup vehicles at a facility in Portugal. The unique model of the Hilux dates again to the Sixties, and a number of other iterations of the automobile have been developed since.
Mario Proenca | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
The corporate could also be trying to make investments billions in EV battery manufacturing, but it surely has additionally pressured it “will proceed to make each effort to flexibly meet the wants” of shoppers “in all international locations and areas by providing a number of powertrains and offering as many choices as attainable.”
The U.Okay. desires to cease the sale of recent diesel and gasoline automobiles and vans by 2030. It should require, from 2035, all new automobiles and vans to have zero-tailpipe emissions. The European Union — which the U.Okay. left on Jan. 31, 2020 — is pursuing comparable targets.