<
https://thedriven.io/2026/07/17/toyota-hilux-bev-first-drive-you-cant-do-that-in-a-diesel-ute/>
"It would be fair to say that the new Hilux electric ute has divided opinions
like few other EVs on offer in Australia, even before its first deliveries: Why
the limited range? Will it tow my boat? Can it carry a load?
My co-driver in the Toyota media day test drive was one of those skeptics.
“What the … why … really?” he muttered as he inspected the interior from the
passenger seat. And then he got to drive it, and decided to overtake the three
cars in front of him with a relatively short overtaking lane. And he did so, no
problems. “Oh,” he said. “Well, you can’t do that in a diesel ute.”
The Australian public has been conditioned by mainstream and social media to be
highly skeptical about the transition to EVs. The Coalition told us nearly a
decade ago it wouldn’t tow our boats and would ruin our weekend, and that the
Labor government would steal their utes.
And as stupid as that sounded at the time, the attitude has more or less stuck
with a sizeable number of the Australian population, fuelled by fears of range
anxiety and broken EV chargers, and a deep suspicion of anything Green.
Finally, though, the long-standing best selling car in Australia – the Toyota
Hilux ute – is going electric. Well, at least partially. Toyota led the world
into hybrids with the release of the Prius more than two decades ago, but have
been dragging their feet on full battery electrics, which makes the release of
the Hilux BEV a potentially pivotal moment.
But before we get too excited, let’s be clear about what it is, and what it is
not."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
