GAZOO Racing will field a fuel cell electric version of its Dakar Hilux at the 2027 rally, swapping the petrol engine for Toyota’s fuel cell system. Called the DKR GR FC Hilux, it will run in the experimental Dakar Future Mission 1000 category, emitting only water from its tailpipe. The company says the harsh desert event is an ideal proving ground for shrinking, cooling and toughening fuel cell technology.

GAZOO Racing, Toyota’s motorsport arm, is preparing to enter a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in the 2027 Dakar Rally. The car, named the DKR GR FC Hilux, is based on the DKR GR Hilux that has already competed in Dakar’s top category, but with its petrol engine replaced by Toyota’s fuel cell system. According to the manufacturer, it produces no CO2 while driving and leaves only water at the tailpipe.

Why race a fuel cell in the desert

Toyota argues that Dakar’s punishing mix of high temperatures, rough terrain and long stages is exactly the environment needed to stress-test hydrogen technology. To run reliably in those conditions, the project focuses on four areas: making the fuel cell smaller, improving cooling, raising durability and managing energy more efficiently.

The company says lessons from developing and running the car in one of motorsport’s toughest settings should feed into wider uses of fuel cells — from passenger cars, trucks, buses and trains to marine applications, race cars and stationary power generators. Engineers on the programme are also expected to sharpen their problem-solving through hands-on work in the field.

Testing and tuning of the FCEV powertrain and its software, along with the vehicle build, have already begun in Belgium, with a test programme rolling out over the coming months.

The Dakar Future Mission 1000 category

The DKR GR FC Hilux will compete in Dakar Future Mission 1000, a class set aside for experimental vehicles and new-technology demonstrations. It uses its own format: crews of driver and navigator race against the clock across 13 stages totalling 1,000 competitive kilometres. The aim, the manufacturer says, is to prove the performance, safety and reliability of fuel cell technology over that distance.

The 2027 Dakar Rally runs in Saudi Arabia from 1 to 15 January, with King Abdullah Economic City as both start and finish. The route threads through sand dunes, rocky unpaved roads and dry riverbeds.

A growing hydrogen motorsport programme

Toyota has been experimenting with hydrogen in racing since 2021, when Rookie Racing ran the hydrogen-combustion ORC ROOKIE Corolla H2 Concept in Japan’s Super Taikyu series. In rallying, the GR Yaris H2 made demonstration runs at Belgium’s Ypres Rally in 2022, followed by the GR Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept at Rally Finland in 2025 and Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2026.

Dakar itself has seen hydrogen before: the HySE-X1 buggy finished Future Mission 1000 in 2024 and the evolved HySE-X2 followed in 2025, both entered by the HySE research association that includes Toyota. In endurance racing, a liquid-hydrogen TR LH2 Racing Prototype ran demonstration laps at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What it means

Until now Toyota’s hydrogen motorsport push has centred on hydrogen combustion engines. The company says the 2027 Dakar entry will be the first time it combines hydrogen and fuel cell technology in a motorsport programme — a notable shift, as a fuel cell generates electricity to drive the car rather than burning hydrogen like a conventional engine. It positions Dakar as a testbed for the harder challenges of packaging and cooling a fuel cell under race conditions.

Facts: Toyota DKR GR FC Hilux

  • Powertrain: Toyota fuel cell system (FCEV), replacing the petrol engine of the DKR GR Hilux
  • Emissions: no CO2 while driving; water only at the tailpipe
  • Event: 2027 Dakar Rally, Dakar Future Mission 1000 category
  • Format: 13 stages, 1,000 competitive kilometres
  • Dates: 1–15 January 2027, Saudi Arabia (start/finish: King Abdullah Economic City)
  • Development focus: fuel cell downsizing, cooling, durability, energy management
  • Status: testing and build under way in Belgium

The DKR GR FC Hilux is due to make its competitive debut at the 2027 Dakar Rally in January.

Source: toyotagazooracing.com