New Toyota Fuel Cell System Close to Being Available to Class 8 Makers
Toyota has developed a second-generation hydrogen fuel cell system to work with Kenworth s T680 chassis. (Toyota)
Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled a second-generation fuel cell system that is nearing the point when it could be offered to heavy-duty truck builders looking to build hydrogen-powered tractors.
The new fuel cell stack is based on the system that is in Toyota’s 2021 Mirai passenger sedan that goes on sale this month. But it is double the size to handle the power needs of a Class 8 truck.
“Our first prototype trucks proved that a fuel cell electric powertrain was capable of hauling heavy cargo on a daily basis. These new prototypes not only use production-intent hardware, they will also allow us to start looking beyond drayage into broader applications of this proven technology,” Andrew Lund, chief engineer at Toyota Motor North America Research and Development, said in a Dec. 10 news release.