Toyota Unveils Fuel Cell Truck Prototype, It's Quicker Than a Diesel

The vehicle is called Project Portal, and it is a fully functional Class 8 truck that runs on electricity produced by its hydrogen fuel cell system.

Its powertrain develops 670 HP and a peak torque of 1,325 lb-Ft (1,796 Nm), and it delivers that without any emissions or lag because it has electric motors.

Toyota has already demonstrated that its prototype is quicker than a comparable diesel when acceleration is concerned, and their test involved a head to head comparison with a load of 35,000 lbs (15,875 kg).

The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle managed to out-accelerate its diesel counterpart by a significant difference, and this would prove helpful in the real world, as well as when driving on a slope.

Two fuel cell stacks from the Mirai have been placed in the tractor to power this truck, and they serve a 12 kWh battery. The latter is relatively small, but it gets the job done without any concerns.

The vehicle powered by the Mirai's drivetrain has a gross combined weight capacity of 80,000 lbs, which means 36,288 kilograms.

Filling up its tanks with hydrogen will provide a driving range of 200 miles (321 kilometers), which is not that impressive when compared with a conventional vehicle, but it is more than enough for regular drayage operation. If the term mentioned is unfamiliar, it refers to the transportation of goods over short distances, like unloading a cargo ship.

The Japanese automaker has explained that Project Portal is just one direction of development, and that its result will be exercised in a feasibility test at the Port of Los Angeles.

Once Project Portal evolves to a production-ready vehicle, Toyota will probably have to partner up with a traditional truck maker to offer a commercially available product. Kenworth, the manufacturer of the tractor that has been converted to run on hydrogen, could be a viable option.