Toyota Hiace Hydrogen Prototype Begins Pilot Program in Australia

New Toyota Hiace hydrogen prototype begins pilot program in Australia

It seems like Toyota is soldiering on with its multi-pathway decarbonisation plan, as the Japanese automotive giant unveiled its latest hydrogen-powered prototype, in the form of the Toyota Hiace van. Set to begin its pilot program in Australia, seven examples of the Hiace hydrogen prototype will be commissioned to several local Australian companies to gather real-world driving data, which is an essential part of its development phase.

The Hiace hydrogen prototype hides a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 mill borrowed from the Lexus LX600

Unlike the previous hydrogen fuel cell-powered (FCEV) Toyota models, this Hiace prototype uses a hydrogen-fuelled ICE powertrain setup, where the marque swapped the Hiace’s old 2.8-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel mill for a larger 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 mill derived from the Aussie-spec Lexus LX600.

Mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox and a rear-wheel drive (RWD) setup, this powertrain boasts a total system output of 161 HP (120 kW) and 354 NM, which is significantly less than its petrol-fuelled counterpart. In spite of this, Toyota claims this setup is good enough to provide the Hiace hydrogen prototype with a maximum towing capacity of up to 1,500 KG with minimal impact on payload and cabin space.

Three 47-litre hydrogen fuel tanks are only enough to grant the Hiace with 200 KM of maximum range

Feeding hydrogen fuels to this V6 mill are three 47-litre hydrogen fuel tanks that are borrowed from the Toyota Mirai FCEV. Toyota claims this setup is good enough to provide the Hiace hydrogen prototype with a maximum range of around 200 KM, which is far less than the Mirai’s NEDC claimed range of 650 KM. Mind you, the Mirai runs on a much more efficient FCEV setup instead of a straight-up hydrogen-fuelled ICE powertrain.

While said figures might not sound impressive, Toyota claims it’s already working on plans to improve the efficiency of this ICE-hydrogen powertrain setup. This includes expanding the size of the hydrogen fuel tanks, improving the ICE combustion process, as well as exploring the possibility of adding hybrid technology to this setup.

Commenting on why the Hiace van was chosen for this new pilot project, Toyota said that the sheer space that commercial vans boast allow them to fit more hydrogen fuel tanks under its floor, plus enough room for a full-sized ICE. Besides, hydrogen-fuelled ICE also works best for the business nature of commercial vans, where they are mainly used for short ‘back-to-base’ operations instead of long-hauled ones like trucks and lorries.

As we mentioned earlier, this pilot programme will involve real-road testing for the Hiace hydrogen prototype, where seven units will be deployed to local Aussie businesses. Among the first to test this Hiace prototype is CPB Contractors, one of Australia’s leading construction companies, where the firm will use the Commuter version of the Hiace hydrogen prototype to transport workers around their project sites in Melbourne.

As for now, the hydrogen-powered Toyota Hiace van will remain a pre-production prototype, pending results from the ongoing pilot programme

However, it still remains unclear whether Toyota intends to actually put this hydrogen ICE-powered Hiace into production, though Toyota Hydrogen Factory president Mitsumasa Yamagata said that the automaker would “like to provide this product as soon as possible.” Should the data gathered from this pilot project show some positive results, perhaps a production-ready Hiace hydrogen model will become a reality faster than we anticipated.