How the Hilux EV’s 4WD System Works

There is no mechanical centre differential in the Hilux EV.

There is also no transfer case, propeller shaft connecting the axles, low-range gearbox or rear differential lock.

Instead, the Hilux EV has two completely independent e-axles:

• Front: 82.2 kW / 205.5 Nm motor

• Rear: 129.3 kW / 268.6 Nm motor

Each motor is integrated into its own eAxle/transaxle, including reduction gearing and differential.

It’s a permanent AWD system.

So, conceptually, think of it like this:

                    59.2 kWh BATTERY
                           │
                    ┌──────┴──────┐
                    │             │
              FRONT INVERTER  REAR INVERTER
                    │             │
              FRONT E-MOTOR   REAR E-MOTOR
                    │             │
              REDUCTION GEAR  REDUCTION GEAR
                    │             │
               FRONT DIFF     REAR DIFF
                  /    \         /    \
             L wheel  R wheel  L wheel  R wheel

There is no mechanical connection between the front and rear drivetrains.

What Replaces the Centre Differential?

Software.

This is the really interesting bit for someone coming from conventional 4WD.

In a conventional full-time 4WD vehicle, you need a centre differential because the front and rear axles travel different distances when cornering.

The centre diff allows that difference in rotational speed while transmitting torque to both axles.

The Hilux BEV doesn’t need that mechanical device because the front and rear motors don’t have to rotate at the same speed.

Toyota’s permanent AWD system can vary the torque distribution between front and rear from 100:0 to 0:100.

That means almost complete independence between the front and rear axles.

So instead of:

engine → gearbox → centre diff → front/rear prop shafts → axle differentials

you have:

battery → two independent inverters → two independent motors → two e-axles

That gives Toyota an enormous amount of freedom to control the torque going to each axle.

But There ARE Differentials at the Axles

This is an important distinction.

Toyota’s specification sheet calls the front and rear units “transaxles”, with separate front and rear speed-reduction ratios of 12.363 and 13.817.

So your mental model should be:

And, critically, the EV doesn’t have differential locks on the axles, unlike what the diagram on the driver’s monitor might lead you to believe.

Then How Does It Cope With One Wheel Spinning?

This is where the Hilux EV gets rather clever.

Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) system controls the electric powertrain according to the terrain.

The EV has six modes, and Toyota says the AWD system provides continuous control of torque between the front and rear axles.

So rather than mechanically locking differentials, the vehicle can manipulate:

• Front motor torque

• Rear motor torque

• Accelerator response

• Wheel-slip characteristics

• Braking and traction intervention

to achieve much the same functional objective as the old-school 4WD hardware.

Interestingly, Toyota’s European technical description says the EV’s AWD can distribute torque from 100:0 through 0:100.

That means that, in principle, it can operate as entirely front-driven or entirely rear-driven depending on what the control system considers appropriate.

Toyota has effectively replaced mechanical traction hardware with electronic torque management.

Diesel Hilux vs Hilux EV

The diesel Hilux has:

engine → transmission → transfer case → prop shafts → differentials → wheels

The EV has:

battery → inverter → motor → reduction gear → differential → wheels

Twice.

That’s why the BEV doesn’t need the conventional centre differential.

What About Crawl Mode?

As for crawl mode, it’s in the “Mogul” setting in MTS mode to provide a low-speed characteristic.

It isn’t mechanically reducing a transfer-case ratio; it is using the electric motors’ control to achieve the desired low-speed behaviour.

Toyota Hilux BEV — Malaysia