Toyota Introduces ‘Project Portal,’ a Hydrogen-Powered Semi-Truck
Your move, Tesla.
As part of a feasibility study, Toyota has announced it will introduce a hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck into service at the Port of Los Angeles. Dubbed "Project Portal," the hydrogen fuel system is ultimately derived from the one found in the Toyota Mirai—but since Project Portal is slated for heavy-duty operations, it makes heavy-duty power. That means two Mirai fuel cell stacks are combined with an additional 12-kilowatt battery that together create more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound-feet of torque, which allows it to handle a maximum combined weight capacity of 80,000 pounds. It also boasts a driving range of more than 200 miles per each fill-up.
Toyota Motor North America EVP Bob Carter said, "Toyota believes that hydrogen fuel cell technology has tremendous potential to become the powertrain of the future. From creating one of the world’s first mass market fuel cell vehicles, to introducing fuel cell buses in Japan, Toyota is a leader in expanding the use of versatile and scalable zero-emission technology."
While infrastructure has been one of the most prohibitive factors preventing the proliferation of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, Toyota is working on building out more hydrogen filling stations throughout the state of California, thanks to a recent partnership with Shell.
Project Portal will be deployed this summer and will be a part of the port's Clean Air Action Plan, an agreement that has fought to reduce emissions from port-related operations at both the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach since 2005.
