According to Road Show by CNet, Toyota announced that it is moving into the next phase of Project Portal, an initiative started in 2017 that focuses on integrating zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell technology to vehicles and other motorized solutions.
The next phase of Project Portal entails unveiling the latest version of the hydrogen fuel-cell semi-truck, which was developed with Kenworth. These trucks will depend on hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains, which take “compressed hydrogen gas and converts it to electricity, with the only byproduct being potable water,” Road Show says. The truck’s fuel stacks will also work in tandem with a battery and will provide a “range north of 300 miles,” which are expected to cover the distance capability of these trucks.
Development of these trucks will also help start the “clean up” of diesel consumption on the West Coast – previous reporting shows that 43,000 diesel trucks work at ports nationwide, with Long Beach and Los Angles “comprising more than one-third of that total,” Road Show says.
The car company has so far developed 10 of these trucks, which will be dispersed to companies like Toyota Logistics Services, UPS, Total Transportations Services and Southern Counties Express (all located in California).
The “truck” won’t stop there:
Road Show also reports that Toyota plans on weaving in greener mechanics into its other solutions, including zero-emission tractors and forklifts, many of which are already in use. Toyota also plans on continuing partnerships with other companies to make its green-solution dreams come true. For example, the company is working with Shell, which promised to add two fueling stations in California that will “combine three current stations” to offer more fill up options for greener vehicles.
Road Show says that Project Portal is one of many starting points for Toyota for developing cleaner solutions – the company plans to “eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions at its Port of Long Beach facility by 2050.”
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