Toyota Updates Fuel Cell Test Truck

Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled an updated version of its Project Portal fuel cell-powered heavy-duty truck with reduced weight and increased driving range.

The beta version of the prototype truck (pictured) is equipped with two extra fuel cell stacks (six instead of four) from the alpha model that was introduced last summer. This boosts driving range by 50% to 300 miles, according to the carmaker.

Toyota says it also optimized the truck’s design, including using fewer wiring harnesses and brackets, to cut weight by about one ton. As with the first-generation model, the beta version is based on a Kenworth Class 8 model and uses fuel cell stacks borrowed from Toyota’s Mirai sedan. The electric motors and 12-kWh lithium-ion battery were developed specifically for the truck. The motors generate 670 hp and 1,325 lb-ft of torque.

Toyota has logged nearly 10,000 miles on the alpha model as part of a pilot program in California. The truck makes short drayage runs, transporting goods from ship terminals at ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach to nearby warehouses and rail yards.

The new truck was unveiled this week during the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich. Toyota already has completed initial road tests in Michigan and plans to conduct hot weather tests later this summer in Arizona.