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It costs $17,000 more than a diesel version, and is rated for just 240km of WLTP driving range, but regular Australians are showing interest in the first electric HiLux.
Electric Cars
Family and tradie customers have placed orders for the Toyota HiLux battery-electric (BEV) ute – beyond mining companies and governments, its intended audience – ahead of deliveries commencing in May.
Toyota has developed the first-ever mass-produced electric HiLux with large fleets in mind, which can charge their vehicles overnight – and do not need to tow or haul heavy loads – so do not need more than the ute's 240km WLTP driving range rating.
Still, Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss John Pappas said there has been interest in the electric HiLux from 'private' buyers.
"We've already had orders on the car, and talking to my sales team ... we're getting a lot of inquiry all around Australia on this vehicle, even from private customers," Pappas told Drive.
"But obviously those private customers will be using the vehicle in a metro area for certain requirements.
"It's not gonna meet the requirements of off-road, towing [customers] where we've got heartland Australia, needing to do their job in heartland Australia, but for mining and for government with 500 [sales] targeted, we think that this year, that's good volume for us for that.
"Let's put it in perspective, we're gonna do 50,000 [diesel] HiLuxes and 500 BEVs."
Pappas acknowledged there hasn't been "a lot" of demand from private customers – families, tradies and regular Australian car buyers – but said interest from "fleet customers ... has been very encouraging, very encouraging."
Orders only opened for the HiLux BEV at the end of March, with first deliveries not due until May, so Pappas said it is still "early".
Dual-cab HiLux BEV pick-ups are rated for 315km of driving range under the NEDC lab test standard, or 240km under more stringent WLTP measurements – almost as low as the $23,990 BYD Atto 1's 220km, the cheapest new electric car in Australia.
The cab-chassis version lists just 245km NEDC, which is estimated to convert to about 180km to 190km of WLTP range – or, at highway speeds in the real world, closer to 120km.
Toyota's solution for customers looking to cover long distances in a HiLux without burning a drop of diesel is a hydrogen fuel-cell version, due in Australian showrooms in 2028.
It will be sold to the public, unlike Toyota's current hydrogen car, the Mirai, which only allows its claimed 650km range to be explored by selected fleets through a 'full-service' lease program.
"In two years time, we're gonna bring in the FCEV [fuel-cell electric vehicle] with hydrogen. That's a longer play for us," Pappas told Drive.
"So we've got the BEV [with] targeted customers, then we're gonna have an FCEV, and we've got the diesel doing its job for the majority of customers in heartland [Australia]."
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
