Toyota continues to develop hydrogen technologies, despite the global growth in popularity of battery electric vehicles. The company announced that it will debut the DKR GR FC Hilux prototype, equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) powertrain, at the Dakar Rally 2027.

The vehicle will compete in the Dakar Future Mission 1000 category, created to test promising technologies. For Toyota, this will be the first racing project where a hydrogen fuel cell system will be used as the sole power source for propulsion.

Unlike internal combustion engine vehicles, hydrogen electric vehicles generate electricity directly on board. In a fuel cell, hydrogen reacts with oxygen, and water becomes a byproduct. This is the scheme used by the production Toyota Mirai – the only passenger car with fuel cells that the company produces today.

According to Toyota, the extreme conditions of Dakar, with high temperatures, dust, and multi-kilometer special stages, will allow testing the efficiency of fuel cell cooling, component durability, the operation of the energy management system, and the possibility of reducing the size of the powertrain.

The data obtained is planned to be used not only in the development of passenger cars. The company expects to apply the test results in trucks, buses, railway equipment, marine transport, stationary power plants, and future racing projects.