Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines when he revealed the company would unveil an electric semi-truck in September. However, Toyota is stealing some of his thunder by unveiling the zero-emission Project Portal.
Designed to explore the potential of fuel cell technology in heavy-duty trucking applications, Project Portal is a hydrogen fuel cell system designed for semis at the Port of Los Angeles.
The truck is equipped with two hydrogen fuel cell stacks from the Toyota Mirai as well as a 12 kWh battery that promises to support class 8 load operations. Power is fed to an electric motor that produces more than 670 hp (679 PS) and 1,325 lb-ft (1,794 Nm) of torque. These impressive figures allow the truck to have a gross combined weight capacity of 80,000 lbs (36,287 kg) and a range in excess of 200 miles (321 km).
The Project Portal semi-truck will take part in a feasibility study this summer and the results could help to pave the way for more hydrogen-powered models.
In a statement, Toyota Motor North America Executive Vice President Bob Carter said “Toyota believes that hydrogen fuel cell technology has tremendous potential to become the powertrain of the future.” He added that the company is “proud to help explore the societal benefits of a true zero emission heavy-duty truck platform.”
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