Hydrogen-fuelled Toyota LandCruiser under investigation

A hydrogen-fuelled version of the iconic Toyota LandCruiser could soon be a reality, according to a senior company executive.

The president of Toyota’s hydrogen factory, Mitsumasa Yamagata, has revealed Toyota is currently exploring ways to fit the LandCruiser 300 Series with a hydrogen-to-ice powertrain and that other popular vehicles, like the HiLux dual-cab ute, could soon follow.

In Australia to help unveil a world-first program for a hydrogen-powered Toyota HiAce, Mr Yamagata says hydrogen power lends itself well to vehicles like the LandCruiser due to its long range and uncompromised towing ability.

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“Yes, there are possibilities to adapt [hydrogen combustion technology] into those big vehicles, including LandCruiser,” said Mr Yamagata at Toyota Australia’s hydrogen facility in Altona. “The advantage of this technology can be utilised for those vehicles including high towing and high loading. Including the adoption of FCEV [fuel cell electric vehicle] we are studying which vehicles will have the suitable technology.”

Another advantage of hydrogen-to-ice is it promises to be far more affordable than cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells (FCEV) or battery electric (BEV) because it doesn’t use electricity to turn the axles. Instead, it retains a conventional combustion powertrain that burns hydrogen rather than petrol.

“That reduces the amount we need to invest, which helps contain the overall development cost,” said Yamagata.

Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, told Wheels that means any price premium should be around 10 per cent, or roughly the same as what Toyota charges for its hybrid models currently.

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“There will be some ‘up spec’ because there's some development costs, but they’re nowhere near what it would be if you started from scratch to develop a whole fuel cell electric vehicle,” said Hanley. “So it’d be fairly close, you're talking about 10 percent close. Maybe similar to hybrid right now.”

Hanley also hinted the HiLux could also be a candidate for a hydrogen-to-ice powertrain, though it’s clear both projects are in their infancy.

“We won’t rule out any technologies,” he said. “And that’s the absolute benefit and positive of a multi-pathway strategy that Toyota has been talking about for a long-long time.”

Toyota will soon add its first electric car to the Aussie range with the BZ4X and it has long been a pioneer of hybrid powertrains. It also has a small fleet or Toyota Mirai FCEV sedans on Aussie roads. Hydrogen-to-ice could soon be another solution for buyers looking to slash their emissions without the high price tag of an EV or FCEV.

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This Corolla Cross is another one of Toyota's hydrogen combustion mules

“Toyota is firmly committed to developing hydrogen technology that has real-world impactful applications,” said Toyota Australia boss Matthew Callachor. “We believe that hydrogen powertrain technologies offer a practical solution to provide ultra-low emission vehicles with long-distance range and heavy off-road and towing capabilities.”

This isn’t the first time the Toyota LandCruiser has been linked with hydrogen power. Rumours of a hydrogen-to-ice LandCruiser first surfaced last year when Japanese magazine Best Car reported Toyota was working on a prototype vehicle.

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Toyota also unveiled the all-electric LandCruiser SE concept at this year’s Japan Mobility Show. That concept isn’t only larger than the 300 Series LandCruiser but is also understood to be built around a monocoque chassis rather than a traditional ladder frame.