Toyota Brings Fuel-Cell Technology to Big Rigs
Over the years, automakers take poured millions into researching and developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. But most drivers aren't quite ready to swap their gas-powered or hybrid cars for a fuel-cell powered ane, so car makers have pivoted their fuel cell know-how to other applications.
Toyota, for example, leverages fuel cells to ability public buses in Japan every bit part of its Hino commercial vehicle unit of measurement, while some other division makes fuel-prison cell forklifts. This week, Toyota appear a new project to exam a hydrogen-powered big rig at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
At major ports, diesel fuel-fueled drayage trucks that move cargo containers around belch large amounts of emissions. At the Port of Houston, for example, more than one-third of the air pollution produced past the facility comes from roughly 3,000 drayage vehicles, according to the Ecology Defense Fund, much of information technology from older trucks.
The Projection Portal truck concept Toyota unveiled this week is designed to appraise the feasibility of using fuel-cell technology in heavy-duty applications such as drayage duties. If successful, Toyota envisions using hydrogen fuel-cell engineering science to allow trucks to haul freight effectually ports "quietly, quickly, and without producing any emissions," it said in a statement.
The Kenworth truck Toyota converted to run on hydrogen produces more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound feet of torque using two fuel-cell stacks and a 12kWh battery from Toyota'south Mirai rider vehicle. The concept'due south gross combined weight capacity is 80,000 pounds, while its estimated range per fill is more than 200 miles under normal drayage operation, according to Toyota.
I spoke with Bob Carter, Toyota Motor North America Executive Vice President of Sales (above), at the consequence in Los Angeles but later on Project Portal was unveiled. The backdrop for our conversation was a gigantic cargo transport stacked with hundreds of containers.
"What'south fascinating is that 42,500 of these cargo containers motion through these two ports each day," Carter pointed out. "To move those within the port ways in that location's thousands of diesel trucks driving round every twenty-four hour period. And then the environmental and emissions benefits of using fuel cell vehicle is massive."
Absolutely No Emissions
The impetus for Project Portal came about from Toyota's piece of work with organizations such equally the California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission, which take been promoting alternative fuel vehicles to encounter the state's tough emission standard and have focused on improving air at these ii massive ports. "The beauty of this truck is there's admittedly no emissions," Carter noted.
He added that while Project Portal is focused on moving containers around ports, it's also a examination bed for other applications. Carter said that the prototype truck's 200-mile range means there's "feasibility of using this for long-haul applications."
Toyota's unveiling of a hydrogen big rig comes on the heels of Tesla's proclamation last week that it's working on an all-electric semi. In typical cavalier fashion, Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk has dismissed hydrogen fuel for vehicle every bit "fool cells."
"The question that comes up is why non become full electrical," Carter acknowledged. "Project Portal is essentially an electric vehicle, since when yous add fuel cells to an electric vehicle it generates electricity on need. To duplicate this capability with a full electric vehicle, the batteries would take to be nearly as long as the trailer itself," he said.
"You also add a tremendous corporeality of weight and expense, and the recharge time for batteries with this adequacy would exist measured in days, non hours," Carter said. "Whereas with fuel cell technology, recharge time is 20 minutes."
But fifty-fifty that's a long time for truckers to look to refuel. And fifty-fifty with the potential of an application similar Project Portal, nosotros'll probably have to also wait a while before we see hydrogen fuel cell semis on the highway.
About Doug Newcomb
Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/consumer-electronics-reviews-ratings-comparisons/15226/toyota-brings-fuel-cell-technology-to-big-rigs
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