Toyota Tacoma H2-Overlander is a Pickup That Drinks Hydrogen and Exhales Water

The Las Vegas lights flash over the conference heart ground as throngs collect round a mid-size car that seems to be constructed to beat the desert but runs on a gasoline so mild it’s nearly air. Toyota’s newest innovation, the Tacoma H2-Overlander Idea, is prepared for the 2025 SEMA Present, with silent energy and nearly nothing however water to exhale. No loud V8, no plugs to mess with, only a huge 547 horsepower prepared to hold you miles from the place the ability goes out.

Toyota Racing Growth (TRD) engineers started with a clear slate, particularly a TNGA-F platform Tacoma chassis. They take away the petrol engine and set up the Mirai sedan’s second-generation fuel-cell stack, then tuck three carbon-fiber wrapped hydrogen tanks (weighing a complete of 6kg) into the body rails for improved security. Hydrogen in, oxygen on board, {an electrical} cost is generated, and solely water vapor is produced. A 24.9 KWh lithium-ion battery rests beneath, scooping up each watt the stack generates and sending it to 2 electrical motors: 225 kilowatts up entrance, 188 kilowatts from the rear e-axle. Flip the important thing, and immediate torque strikes all 4 wheels by way of a restricted slip entrance differential and an digital rear locker – zero to grime in full silence.

You possibly can recharge in 5 minutes at a hydrogen station after which proceed driving till the tanks run dry, which is longer than many electrical 4x4s with no charger in sight. Toyota included cooling elements from the TRD Professional Tacoma and the electrified Lexus RZ to maintain temperatures secure. Then they fitted Fox 2.5 Efficiency Elite shocks (helpfully borrowed from Tundra growth) to soak up up these monumental boulders, whereas 35-inch Normal Grabber all-terrain tires on 17-inch Technique wheels Race wheels merely grip the highway.

Step as much as the tailgate, and the actual occasion begins: a system that collects all the exhaust water, filters it so it’s secure to drink, after which shops it in a tank. So you possibly can refill your bathe bag, rinse off your muddy boots, and even wash your dinner plates – that’s about the identical quantity that 14 gallons of water you may get out of each full hydrogen fill-up. Toyota claims that some states say you don’t even must drink it as a result of it has no minerals, however actually, the utility of getting it on faucet if you’re caught within the desert is priceless.

Want some juice whereas tenting? Flip open the 2 NEMA 14-50 shops on the bedside. Fifteen kilowatts are produced, which is sufficient to energy a tiny home or two different inoperable electrical rigs. There are additionally cupboards with a Dometic fridge and a propane-free grille that burns somewhat quantity of tank hydrogen. Carbon fibre panels flap open like wings, revealing restoration boards and tie down factors. On high, there’s a pop-up roof tent, all made out of the identical light-weight materials.

Heavy-duty bumpers are designed to hold a winch up entrance and twin swing-out carriers out again. Seven round lights perch atop the roof, and a 40-inch mild bar cuts by means of the darkness. The excellent news is that each single a kind of lamps is avenue authorized, permitting you to drive house with out incident.

Vary estimates place it at roughly 300 miles on a single fill, which is near the Mirai’s day by day driving wants, plus you possibly can nonetheless convey your whole belongings alongside for the journey. Then there’s the additional advantage of regenerative brakes, which return a few of that vitality to the battery each time you experience downhill, permitting you to increase your journey somewhat longer. Guys who used to depend on diesel mills to hold them by means of the desert at the moment are using this similar know-how to energy up their LED tower lights, and so they get zero fumes and nil noise, too.

Take a tour across the SEMA aisles between November 4th and seventh, and also you’ll discover the H2-Overlander in Central Corridor, sales space 22200. Come test it out, run your hand over the modern carbon panels, have a look at the intense exhaust, and seize a drink from the built-in water tank. One style of this filtered, free-flowing water, which comes instantly from the exhaust, no much less.
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