If your bud insists on taking an EV to the great outdoors, then you’d be doing him a huge favor by tagging along with the Toyota Tacoma H2-Overlander Concept. This is not your everyday Tacoma. It is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Tacoma, and it is not the usual truck either. It is an overlander designed for exploring the great outdoors while treading lightly, leaving no traces, thanks to the hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) and battery electric (BEV) technologies, with the only emission being water. It is the marriage of green tech with proven engineering, Toyota’s TNGA-F body-on-frame platform.
And what a marriage it is. The H2-Overlander casually rolls in with 547 horses from two electric motors, near-instant torque, and a quiet powertrain that lets you sneak up on wildlife like a pro stalker. Better yet, this thing is the ultimate “friend with benefits” out on the trail. It packs a 15-kW power takeoff with dual NEMA 14-50 outlets that can charge two EVs at once. So while your buddy is regretting his “I’ll be fine” overconfidence, the Tacoma is basically his mobile lifeline.
The cleverness doesn’t stop there. TRD engineers stuffed a second-generation Mirai fuel cell stack and three hydrogen tanks into the frame rails, adding a 24.9-kWh lithium-ion battery for good measure. The result is quick response, regenerative braking, and torque routed through a front limited-slip differential and a rear electronic locker for real four-wheel-drive overlanding. Long-travel suspension, Fox 2.5 Performance Elite shocks, and 35×12.5R17 tires complete the setup, keeping this concept planted and grinning at rough terrain.
Oh, and that water it emits? TRD built a patent-pending system that captures and filters it for showers and washing. No minerals, no weird taste, just clean utility. How’s that for sustainability? Granted. Maybe it will not be gallons of it. But every drop counts when you are out in the wilderness, doesn’t it?
Obviously, it is a concept, so don’t start asking for the price. It is not happening anytime soon.
Images: Toyota.
