Hydrogen in the desert: Toyota's fuel-cell Hilux heads to the 2027 Dakar

Toyota is heading into the Dakar Rally with a hydrogen car. Toyota Gazoo Racing has announced that in January 2027 it will line up with the DKR GR FC Hilux, a prototype that runs on a fuel cell and emits only water. In the toughest rally in the world, the team wants to prove that hydrogen works reliably even under extreme conditions.

The car will compete in the Dakar Future Mission 1000 class, the rally’s experimental category. There, crews race over thirteen stages covering some 1,000 competitive kilometres through the Saudi desert. The 2027 edition runs from 1 to 15 January.

From petrol to fuel cell

The DKR GR FC Hilux is based on the proven DKR GR Hilux that Toyota has raced successfully at the Dakar for years. The petrol engine makes way for a hydrogen fuel cell that feeds electricity to an electric drivetrain. While driving, no CO2 is released; only water vapour comes out of the exhaust. For Toyota, it is the first time that hydrogen and fuel cell technology come together in its motorsport activities.

The desert as a test lab

For Toyota, the rally is above all a rolling laboratory. The team is focusing on making the fuel cell more compact, better cooling, greater durability and smart energy management — exactly the points that also matter for everyday hydrogen cars and trucks. The heat, dust and long stages of the Dakar make for an extreme proving ground. Development and the first tests began in Belgium, with a progressive test programme building towards January 2027.

Fast refuelling as a trump card

One key advantage the team highlights: refuelling with hydrogen takes about five minutes, just like a conventional car. In a rally where every minute counts, that is an attractive quality. Toyota had already built up experience with hydrogen in motorsport, including the hydrogen-combustion GR Yaris H2 (2022) and the HySE hydrogen engines that took part in the Dakar in 2024.

We follow projects like this with pleasure. Alongside battery-electric driving, hydrogen shows here what it can do in heavy, demanding use: quick refuelling, long distances and zero-emission driving in the roughest conditions. That is exactly where the technology can prove itself.

Sources

• Toyota Gazoo Racing — press release (9 July 2026)
• Hydrogen Fuel News — Hydrogen vehicles take on Dakar Rally with Toyota’s fuel cell Hilux
• Autoevolution — Gazoo Racing brings water to the 2027 Dakar with the fuel cell DKR GR Hilux
• Motorsport.com — Toyota to enter hydrogen-powered car in 2027 Dakar Rally