2024 Toyota HiAce hydrogen prototype: Quick drive
It's a zero-emissions vehicle, but not as we know it. Strap yourself into the hydrogen Toyota HiAce prototype, as Ben Zachariah (slowly) explores what the future has in store for the light commercial segment.
- Feels and drives like a production HiAce
- All the components already exist
- Could be a viable alternative to electric
- Performance is lacking
- Fuel economy is terrible
- Hydrogen infrastructure isn't there, yet
2024 Toyota HiAce hydrogen prototype
Electric vehicles may be dominating the headlines, but Toyota is among a handful of car makers exploring alternatives in an effort to decarbonise the world. One solution Toyota is pushing ahead with is using hydrogen fuel to power internal-combustion engines.
With minor changes to an engine, along with the addition of special fuel tanks, a petrol engine could be modified to take hydrogen instead – with a vehicle producing almost zero emissions.
This hydrogen-fuelled Toyota HiAce prototype is unusual – not only because of the technology, but because it's a prototype that was made in just 12 months following a three-year development, and it was shown to the world so early after its creation.
Toyota invited a small number of publications to the HiAce's unveiling, including Drive, and we were among the very first people outside of the Toyota corporation to have driven the van.
While Toyota has yet to confirm this as a locked-in production model, senior executives have said they are "very keen" to see the hydrogen HiAce join the company's line-up eventually – offered as an alternative to the increasing number of electric commercial vans hitting the market.
Toyota looks set to join the trend, showing an electric HiAce concept at the recent Tokyo Motor Show – suggesting it could offer both electric and hydrogen models alongside each other and delivering on its promise of providing choice to its customers.
Part of the reason this prototype exists is because electric vehicles lose a significant amount of range when fully loaded. Add to that the box shape of a commercial van and the best-case scenario of driving range is unlikely to be realised.
Hydrogen, on the other hand, is far more suited to heavy loads and headwinds, without the fear that fuel economy will be significantly impacted.
What's more, this hydrogen HiAce can theoretically be put into production without any change to Toyota's supply chain. All the ingredients already exist in the system, the recipe is just slightly different. That's a big win from both an accounting and logistics point of view.
It's worth addressing the Hindenburg in the room and conceding that, yes, a hydrogen-fuelled anything doesn't make financial sense to the consumer right now.
Toyota has its own hydrogen production facility in Melbourne's west – powering the energy-intensive process with electricity from a mix of solar and grid – which allows it to run pilot programs of the HiAce along with a fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai sedans.
But Toyota isn't worried about making the numbers work right now. It's looking towards the future, banking on federal and state governments following through on their promise of investing more than $6 billion in hydrogen infrastructure across the country.
The Japanese car giant hasn't revealed who it's targeting with the hydrogen HiAce, but it seems unlikely to be your local plumber who drives maybe 20km in one area each day. For them, an electric HiAce makes far more sense.
Once you start thinking outside the box, you realise there are plenty of businesses that require having their vans on the road almost 24 hours a day and can't afford to have their vehicles charging for half of that time.
Riot police often use HiAce Commuter vans to ferry officers to events around the city and could feasibly switch to a hydrogen model without any impact on their work.
Then there are courier companies in regional areas that might find it easier to have their on-site hydrogen tank refilled once a week, perhaps to fuel a mix of prime-mover heavy trucks and commercial vans within their fleet.
Not to mention the hundreds of mines and tunnel projects around the country that could use a zero-emissions bus to ferry their workers on site.
It's also worth thinking about some developing nations that don't have access to reliable and widespread electricity in order to power electric vehicles.
So even though a hydrogen-powered HiAce might not appear to make sense to your situation, it's likely there are countless scenarios in which a hydrogen van could make sense… in the future.
2024 Toyota HiAce Commuter GL Super LWB hydrogen prototype | |
Seats | 11 |
Length | 5915mm |
Width | 1950mm |
Height | 2280mm |
Wheelbase | 3860mm |
What engine does the Toyota HiAce hydrogen prototype use?
With the exception of some BMWs sold in Europe a couple of decades ago, most hydrogen vehicles in the world today are electric cars that have had a hydrogen fuel-cell tank fitted, which converts the hydrogen to electricity.
However, this working prototype has had its 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine swapped for a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that has been modified to accept hydrogen fuel.
It's fundamentally the same engine found in the Lexus LX600 – and overseas variants of the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series – with different fuel injectors added, along with a larger radiator to help manage cooling.
The LX600's 10-speed automatic transmission has been retained, but in rear-wheel-drive guise rather than all-wheel drive.
Unlike the petrol V6 in the Lexus, which produces 305kW and 650Nm, the same engine on hydrogen puts out 120kW and 354Nm – a power drop of approximately 60 per cent.
Toyota engineers say they did that deliberately to match the standard 2.8-litre engine's 120kW output, though the turbo-diesel engine offers 66Nm more torque, exacerbating the V6's power deficit.
As part of the conversion, the HiAce borrows the hydrogen fuel tanks from the Mirai, allowing it to carry approximately 141 litres of fuel on board.
But according to Toyota engineers, the HiAce has a range of less than 200km, so fuel consumption is worse than 70 litres per 100 kilometres.
Company officials have said they are looking at potentially adding a hybrid system. Given the forthcoming Toyota Tundra pick-up already has a hybrid version of the same 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6, it makes sense this powertrain would be used.
While hybrid assistance would add a minor amount of weight, it would likely improve fuel consumption as well as adding power and torque.
Key details | 2024 Toyota HiAce Commuter GL Super LWB hydrogen prototype |
Engine | 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 |
Power | 120kW |
Torque | 354Nm |
Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
Transmission | 10-speed torque converter automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 43.2kW/t |
Weight | 2780kg |
What is the Toyota HiAce hydrogen prototype like to drive?
Climbing into the commuter bus is like shaking hands with an old friend who has matured in the years since you last saw them.
When I was a young lad, I borrowed my boss's mother's long-wheelbase, high-roof HiAce made in the 1990s. And it was a blast to drive. Basic, not much grip, but still handfuls of fun on the right road.
Early in my career, I spent a lot of time delivering and collecting previous-generation HiAces to JB HiFi stores across the country, becoming well acquainted with the tight cabin and the lazy 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine.
The hydrogen prototype is based on the current-generation HiAce, which pushes the cabin back behind the engine and front wheels, opening up a much roomier interior while also improving ride, handling and ergonomics.
Unlike most prototypes, which are a hodgepodge of poorly aligned 3D-printed parts, the HiAce is based on a production vehicle, so it felt properly screwed together and tight like you would expect – the only tell-tale being a digital multi-gauge mounted to the top of the dashboard.
The starting procedure is still quite rudimentary, with the vehicle requiring a few moments of priming before firing the engine to life – in a similar fashion to old-school diesels, which had the driver sitting and waiting for the glow plugs to warm up before starting.
Setting off also requires an equal amount of patience. Slotting the transmission into drive and squeezing the throttle, the HiAce gradually gathers speed up until the turbochargers come on boost.
At this point, with my foot flat, all 120kW and 354Nm are being delivered to the rear wheels, as the engine pushes out a bassy yet hollow thrum.
Eventually, we hit around 80km/h down the straight at Toyota's Autodrome test track, before slowing to take a 90-degree corner.
Toyota engineers tell us the conversion added around 100kg to the weight of the HiAce, but given that almost all of the weight is located under the floor, it's not at all noticeable.
What is noticeable is the lack of torque, especially before the turbos kick in. The engine seems mostly unfazed by the extra weight of passengers, but there seems to be a bit of a hole down low – something that could be rectified with hybrid assistance.
After a handful of laps around the facility, it became abundantly clear that despite the minor shortfall in performance, this technology is more or less ready to go. The roadblocks aren't with the vehicle itself, but with the infrastructure, and that's something we're going to see improve in a big way in the coming years.
Timing is everything. BMW was arguably too early when it launched its hydrogen-fuelled 7 Series more than two decades ago. It's too early to know for sure, but Toyota may have timed this development just right, and could be one of the few companies to eventually offer a zero-emissions commercial van that is a genuine and viable alternative to its battery-electric counterparts.