Toyota has revealed its second version of its Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell truck. The truck is producing zero emissions and has an improved range of more than 300 miles per fill. The vehicle was shown at an industry event in Northern Michigan.
The hydrogen fuel cell truck is called internally at Toyota as “Beta. It is a modified version of concept truck Project Portal “Alpha” truck. The predecessor has passed 10,000 miles of testing since April 2017. It was equipped with a hydrogen-powered engine that produced over 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound-feet of torque. It has a range of around 200 miles and can haul up to 80,000 pounds.
The new Beta truck’s engine is producing the same numbers as its predecessor but has increased range. Additionally, a sleeper cab and fuel cabinet combination were added. However, even the cab space was increased, the wheelbase is the same. Some other performance metrics were improved, but they were not specified.
Toyota chose to use two modified Mirai fuel cell stacks and a 12-kilowatt-hour battery in order to power the truck. The manufacturer is following its previously announced strategy for making these vehicles profitable: it uses as many parts as possible from its Mirai model.
The new hydrogen fuel cell truck will start hauling cargo around the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles sometime in the fall. It is definitely won’t be about to carry goods across the country any soon since Tesla’s semi will have over 500 miles range. Toyota is just making a first step in implementing fuel cell technology. The company expects to eliminate all CO2 emissions from its logistics facility at Long Beach by 2050, and this is will be used for this goal.
Additionally, Toyota is generating renewable hydrogen at its Toyota Logistics Services facility in the Port of Long Beach. The plant will use agricultural waste in order to generate water, electricity, and hydrogen. It will power the port, and the production of hydrogen will allow using more of these trucks in future.
[Via Autoblog]
