Toyota unveils Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered Truck
Published On Apr 24, 2017
Toyota has revealed one of the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell driven truck that is being considered as the stepping stone into the future of zero emission heavy duty vehicles. The company in a statement said that it is paving a way for other manufacturers in the world of zero emission hydrogen fuel technology which has amazing potential to become the power train of the future.
Known as ‘Project Portal’, the vehicle will undergo trials later this year as a concept truck at Los Angeles Port. It will be primarily used for drayage operations i.e. transportation of goods over short distances such as moving cargo from ships to warehouse facilities. Drayage is considered as one of the highest sources of carbon emissions at the Los Angeles Port, the world’s busiest, where diesel powered trucks transport about 19,000 cargo containers on a daily basis.
As per the specs, the truck powered by the 12kWh hydrogen fuel cell stack produces 670 horsepower and 1796Nm of torque. This is relatively a small battery that would support class 8 load operations. With the gross weight of 36 tonnes, the concept truck is able to cruise over 200 miles on a single fill, during standard drayage operations.
Tony Gioiello, the Deputy Executive Director of Port Development, Port of Los Angeles, said that they are currently accessing the feasibility of the technology and foresee Toyota’s effort as a potential step in the development of scalable zero-emission heavy duty vehicles. Emphasizing on the same, Janea A. Scott, Commissioner, California Energy Commission stated that hydrogen fuel cell driven vehicles play a crucial role in achieving carbon footprint reduction goals, decreasing the dependability on fossil fuels as well as improving quality of air.
Looking at the efforts of Toyota, California Energy Commission is investing in refuelling the infrastructure needed to support the easy adoption of these vehicles. This would further act as a harbinger for other manufacturers to follow the suite, making effort in increasing efficiency and eventually transition to zero emission.
The news follows the previous announcement from Toyota last year that it is planning to introduce 100 buses in Tokyo powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology. A lot of other manufacturers such as Mercedes, Scania and Volvo are also working in the field of electric/hybrid trucks as part of the alternative power train technology movement.
