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Toyota Unveils Project Portal 2.0 Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Semi Truck (cnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the new-and-improved dept.

Toyota is actively working to make vehicles powered by alternative energy sources. Last year, the Japanese automaker unveiled Project Portal, a novel hydrogen fuel-cell system designed for heavy-duty truck use at the Port of Los Angeles. Today, Toyota announced that it built a second hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy-duty truck with 50 percent more range. CNET reports: Project Portal gets its power from a pair of hydrogen fuel-cell stacks borrowed from the Mirai sedan. Combined with a 12-kWh battery, the truck put out an impressive 670-plus horsepower and 1,325 pound-feet of torque. Its total combined weight rating is a hefty 80,000 pounds. The first version's range was about 200 miles, but this second version pushes that range north of 300 miles. The new Project Portal also packs a sleeper cab and a revised powertrain that boosts cab space without requiring a longer wheelbase. Project Portal 2.0 will begin its drayage work this fall. The pioneering variant has already clocked more than 10,000 miles as it transported goods over short distances in and around the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. As with every other hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the only emissions byproduct is pure potable water, although I don't blame you if you're not comfortable enough to pour a glass and take a sip of tailpipe juice.

3 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. Re:reuse that water by DDumitru · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually a lot of water:

    30 kg of H2 = 30 x (16+2)/2 = 270 kg of water or 71 gallons of water.

  2. Re:This is the truck of the future! by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... said someone from 1996, maybe.

    Truck emmisions are an issue for ports. A lot are older OO vehicles that aren’t clean idle ans aome ports offer incentives to get new tractors. If LA can get a significant numbers of the trucks to be H2 fueled it’s a win.

    --
    I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
  3. Re:This is the truck of the future! by Rei · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You're citing a "FutureGen" reference from 2005, backed up by a dead link.

    Google "hydrogen price per kg", since a kg of hydrogen is approximately a gallon of gasoline equivalent. Prepare to be disappointed.

    --
    Assuming ethanol comes from murdered children and the hydrogen from magic, hydrogen saves 132% more lives than ethanol.