Toyota HiLux EV 2023 Review

The first thing to understand about the 2023 Toyota HiLux Revo BEV Concept is there are currently no production plans confirmed. So there’s no pricing or equipment details locked down.

But there’s no doubt Toyota Australia likes the concept and would like to sell something similar one day.

It would add a new and very different model to the HiLux line-up of diesel, petrol and – in 2024 – mild-hybrid models.

The Toyota people joked the concept developed by Toyota Daihatsu Engineering Manufacturing (TDEM) in Thailand probably cost $1 million and that’s a fair estimate considering the amount of work that’s clearly gone into this vehicle.

Not that Toyota is releasing much in the way of technical details. In fact, the local Toyota techs were forbidden from even lifting the bonnet, let alone showing us what was under there.

What we do know is the standard internal combustion engine (ICE) powertrain has been replaced by a single e-motor of unstated type, power and torque and a battery pack of unstated chemistry, power and recharging speed.

However, it is probably fair to suggest the Revo BEV uses readily accessible tech, so maybe gear from the Toyota bZ4X SUV that goes on sale (in updated form) in Australia in early 2024.

We can tell you Toyota Australia has been extracting about 200-230km in range from the Hilux EV’s powertrain during testing. There’s no regenerative assistance for the friction brakes to extend that range further.

It also isn’t very fast, logging 11sec 0-100km/h times during our short test drive. The slow acceleration was not aided by what felt like a heavy vehicle, not that kerb weight, potential payload or towing capability were being revealed.

It’s pure speculation, but if the bZ4X link is right, then the motor could be the 80kW rear unit from the all-wheel drive model, while the battery pack would be 71kWh gross (useable capacity is another thing, of course).

The drive unit comprising e-motor, differential and single-speed gear are bolted to the chassis and drive the rear wheels via half shafts.

The live rear axle from the standard HiLux has been swapped out for a separate De Dion rear axle. The concept retains leaf-spring rear suspension and the front suspension is double wishbones.

The battery pack sits between the standard longitudinal frame rails. It is secured by a series of reinforcing mounts and supports that are bolted and then welded to the rails.

While these are very obvious, the lateral cross members for the standard eighth-generation ladder frame are well tucked away and some in the centre section have been removed.

Externally, the concept is differentiated from a regular Thai-market HiLux Revo Standard Cab – WorkMate here – by a filled-in grille and a CCS2 charger port above the left-side front wheel-arch. Presumably the AC/DC inverter is under the bonnet.

Inside, the EV concept is remarkably stock in its presentation. A drive selector dial and electric park brake sit on the centre console instead of the usual gear shifter and manual pull-type handbrake lever.

Up in the instrument cluster the tacho is replaced by a battery gauge and there is also a power meter, digital speedo and distance-to-empty estimate.

By the way, the Revo name is applied across the current-generation HiLux range in Thailand. So what is branded a HiLux GR Sport here becomes a HiLux Revo GR Sport there.

The most impressive thing about driving the 2023 Toyota HiLux Revo BEV Concept is how production-ready it seems.

The powertrain installation – as much as we could see of it – was neat and tidy and so were the cabin modifications.

Because the vehicle is not road-legal in Australia, the drive was restricted to Toyota’s basic flat test track at its Altona property. That helped make the experience very straightforward.

Press the start button and then the accelerator and the ute whirrs away smoothly, quietly and solidly in that EV way, gathering plenty of initial pace before diminishing its impetus as revs and speed rise.

Without a load in the back it felt a little stiff, but on such a smooth course there was little chance to judge ride isolation. As the course was as flat as a pancake there was no chance to assess hill-climbing acceleration either.

But there were enough corners of varying radii to show off stable handling underpinned by an inclination toward soft-ish body roll and understeer.

Seventeen-inch Dunlop Grandtrek A/T rubber no doubt accentuated the latter trait, as well as adding a bit of road noise as speeds rose.

But in terms of ease of use the HiLux Revo BEV was about as hard to drive as a vacuum cleaner. Its potential was easily identifiable.

What’s not so good about the Toyota HiLux EV?

It’s hard to be negative about a one-off concept vehicle such as the 2023 Toyota HiLux Revo BEV Concept. The point of the exercise is to develop knowledge for the future, not sell a car now.

Look, it’s slow, it’s a bit stodgy in its handling and stuff like that, but that’s no big deal.

The main frustration about it is that Toyota is still only at the concept stage with this vehicle.

Five years ago, we’d have been impressed; now, we’re just impatient. Hopefully it previews a production model in the not-too-distant future.

This isn’t the sort of Toyota HiLux that Aussie Outback adventurers will want. But the Australian arm of the Japanese auto giant believes there’s a market for such a vehicle among fleet operators with a desire/need to reduce emissions outputs.

After all, it sells a lot of 4x2 WorkMates.

The next development step from concept to reality for the 2023 Toyota HiLux Revo BEV Concept is back in its home country.

Toyota Thailand will have a small fleet of them out on public roads testing from 2024. They’ll be used as share taxis with bench seats mounted on the rear.

So if you’re in Bangkok in 2024, you might even get a ride in one!

And stay tuned as we learn more about the HiLux EV prototype as it draws closer to production.

2023 Toyota HiLux Revo BEV Concept at a glance:
Price: $1 million (development cost estimate)
Available: Maybe one day
Powertrain: Single electric motor
Output: To be confirmed
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: To be confirmed
Range: 200-230km (Toyota Australia estimate)
Energy consumption: To be confirmed
Safety rating: Not tested