Next-generation Toyota Prius could feature a hydrogen fuel-cell

A push by Toyota towards hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is set to include its most iconic green model, with the Prius eventually ditching the combustion engine altogether.

Creative Trend reports the Prius will adopt hydrogen as its fuel source in the vehicle's fifth-generation, entering the Prius variant line-up alongside the 1.8-litre ICE and nickel-metal hydride setup – which is currently used in the fourth-gen XW50.

If the new Prius is moved to the TNGA-L platform rather than its existing TNGA-C base, it would be ready to accommodate a hydrogen fuel-cell battery – given the Mirai utilises the former platform as the only FCEV in Toyota's range.

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The Japanese firm's hybrid journey began with the Prius and recently surpassed 200,000 sales for all hybrid models in Australia, although the model has been fading in sales of late – with the spin-off Prius C and Prius V canned locally due to poor performance.

Despite the manufacturer being an early adopter of hybrid technology, it has kept an arm's distance from moving to full-EVs, saying the former technology is not a stepping stone towards the latter – while also throwing its weight behind hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

In June this year, Toyota France was able to beat the existing distance record for a hydrogen vehicle, travelling for more than 1000km in a second-generation Mirai – the first hydrogen offering from Toyota currently available to be leased only through the manufacturer.