Toyota tests fuel cells in heavy goods vehicles

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) presented ‘Project Portal’ – a hydrogen fuel cell system for heavy commercial vehicles. In order to do so, a prototype zero emissions truck has been manufactured, as part of a study that will begin this summer in Los Angeles, California (USA).

The new truck developed by Toyota has a horsepower of 670 (493 kW), driven by two groups of fuel cells such as that which propels the Toyota Mirai and a battery of 12 kW/h. The prototype has a combined load capacity of 36,000 kg and it is estimated that its range will exceed 320 km per deposit, in normal transport operations.

According to Bob Carter, Executive Vice-President of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), “Toyota believes that hydrogen fuel cell technology has tremendous potential to become the engine of the future”.