Aussie Toyota HiLux EV plan firms
Melbourne-based electric truck company may start production of battery-powered HiLux in 2023Australian electric truck manufacturer SEA could be less than 12 months away from launching a Toyota HiLux EV.
The Melbourne company already has a battery-electric Toyota HiLux ute powered by its own SEA-Drive 70 powertrain, which delivers 700Nm of torque and about 300km of range (unladen) between recharges.
SEA is at least the third Australian company to reveal plans for an electric ute, following H2X Global and Roev.
Like them, the target for SEA’s EV ute would initially be business and government fleets rather than private buyers.
“There is significant interest in an EV HiLux and we have the technology to create one of those,” SEA Electric Asia-Pacific president Bill Gillespie confirmed to carsales.
“We have significant interest from companies to do that and we are working with the Toyota group to see if we can achieve that goal.”
There are several reasons to go after fleets rather than private buyers; one customer equals multiple vehicles sold and there is significant pressure on government and business fleets to meet carbon emissions goals.
“There is huge demand for zero-emission utes,” Gillespie said.
Unlike the two recently established start-ups which have yet to build a production vehicle, SEA has been around since 2013 and has been building and selling electric trucks in Australia and overseas since 2017.
It now has its global headquarters and a truck assembly plant in California and locations in Europe and New Zealand.
SEA also has its own dealer network in Australia through which it could sell its EV ute.
The Australian company has strong ties with Toyota through its relationship with the Hino truck brand, as well as Toyota R&D and manufacturing operations in Thailand and Indonesia.
Hino trucks are imported to Australia in semi-knocked down (CKD) form and built up with SD powertrains at SEA’s Melbourne factory.
A 2023 launch of an SEA electric HiLux would likely involve securing second-hand vehicles then replacing the diesel engines with its own SD-70 powertrains.
“We are ready to go, we just have to order the components at scale,” said Gillespie. “So if someone said ‘can you build 200 in the second half of next year?’ the answer is ‘absolutely’.
“Every component we would put in that [HiLux ute] we are already using and already have a supply base.
“It’s just a case of making a plan, securing enough chassis and ordering enough batteries, motors and cabling.”
The longer-term vision is to secure ‘Glider’ HiLux chassis off the line in Thailand and install the powertrain at an SEA factory, probably in Thailand.
“We would rather not repower – we can do it, but we would rather be working with Toyota or another manufacturer,” said Gillespie.
“We prefer Toyota because of our Hino connection. We’d rather do Toyotas and we’ve already done a HiLux.
“We would prefer to work with them on a glider chassis out of Thailand or establish a plant alongside them in Thailand to work on a joint program.
“That is what we would really like to do.
“But if we can’t source [gliders] through the Toyota group there would be other options we’d look at.”
Gillespie said discussions were at an early stage with Toyota and he was cautious about the prospects of a successful deal, citing the potential for the Japanese auto giant to develop its own electrified solution – be it EV or hybrid – in-house.
SEA Electric already has significant experience mating its SEA-Drive-70 powertrain with the ladder frame chassis that underpins the HiLux.
It has built five battery-electric Toyota Innova people-movers for Toyota’s Asia R&D manager TDEM (Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing). The Innova is built in Indonesia and based on the same chassis as the HiLux, as well as the Fortuner SUV.
The Kijang Innova EV Concept 7 debuted at the Indonesia motor show last March. It is not destined for production, but is instead described as a research and development vehicle.
Gillespie revealed the HiLux prototype in Melbourne literally bolted the ute body over the underpinnings developed for the Innova concept.
“It fits perfectly and we are driving it around and all the rest,” confirmed Gillespie. “So it’s already running.”
Designed for vans weighing up to 4.5 tonnes, the SD-70 powertrain includes an 134kw/700Nm permanent magnet electric motor and high-voltage lithium-ion battery options up to 88kWh.
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