Toyota hydrogen Hilux proves itself at Rotterdam The Hague Airport: a week of bird control on fuel cell power

Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA) has deployed a hydrogen-electric Toyota pick-up truck in its daily ground operations for one week. The Toyota Hilux prototype — powered by a fuel cell system — joined the Bird Control team, the unit responsible for keeping birds away from runways. Because this work runs from early morning to late at night with minimal downtime, it provides a realistic test environment for a vehicle that must remain constantly available.

Target: fully emission-free ground operations by 2030

RTHA has set itself the goal of achieving fully emission-free ground operations by 2030. Electric vehicles have already replaced a large share of the lighter fleet, but heavier and more intensive applications remain a challenge. Hydrogen is seen as a promising complement to battery-electric — not a replacement for it.

By using the airport as a test site, both Toyota and the airport gain practical experience with the technology in an operational setting. That experience is essential: alongside the vehicles themselves, processes, safety procedures and infrastructure all need to be adapted before hydrogen can be deployed structurally at an airport.

The Toyota Hilux: technical background

The vehicle used is a Toyota Hilux prototype fitted with a hydrogen fuel cell system built around core components from the Toyota Mirai. For a pick-up truck, the technical specifications are impressive:

• Expected range: up to 600 km

• Hydrogen storage: 7.8 kg across three tanks mounted in the ladder chassis

• Fuel cell stack: 330 cells, mounted above the front axle

• Electric motor: 134 kW (182 hp) / 300 Nm torque, rear-wheel drive

• Hybrid lithium-ion battery for onboard energy storage

The prototype was specifically adapted for the Bird Control role at RTHA. During operation, the vehicle produces no exhaust emissions — only clean water.

Why hydrogen for airport vehicles?

The key advantage of hydrogen over battery-electric lies in operational availability. Refuelling takes only a few minutes — comparable to diesel — making the vehicle almost continuously available, even across multiple shifts. Battery-electric vehicles require charging time that can create operational bottlenecks under intensive use.

Fuel cell vehicles also perform more stably at low temperatures, a relevant benefit for vehicles that operate outdoors in all weather conditions.

Not the first: Schiphol led the way

RTHA is not the first Dutch airport to trial the hydrogen Hilux. In September 2025, Schiphol became the first major international airport in the world to launch a comparable pilot project. There too, the Hilux was deployed with the Bird Control team, alongside a specially developed hydrogen-powered aircraft tow vehicle. Schiphol operated its own temporary hydrogen refuelling station on-site during the trial.

The RTHA test builds on those experiences and shows that smaller regional airports are also taking hydrogen seriously in their ground operations.

Hydrogen and electric as complements

Both RTHA and Toyota are clear that hydrogen is not competing with battery-electric, but complementing it. Electric suits lighter vehicles and shorter distances well. Hydrogen is better suited to heavier use, longer shifts and situations where charging time creates operational problems. Toyota describes this as a 'Multi-pathway strategy' — the conviction that multiple technologies must be developed in parallel to decarbonise transport.

Sources:

• Rotterdam The Hague Airport / Duurzaam Ondernemen (29-04-2026)
• Schiphol Group (11-09-2025)
• NLHydrogen
• ATW.nl
• 24cars.nl
• Louwman Group
• Toyota Netherlands