There is continuous heating up competition in the fuel-cell electric truck space. Toyota Motors and Hino Trucks have recently announced that they will be collaborating to create a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck (FCET) tractor. This project is built on the previously developed technology by Toyota which was under Project Portugal in 2017.
Project Portugal is a fully operative, heavy-duty truck with the torque and power capacity to conduct port drayage operations while producing water vapour emissions only. This truck is designed to operate on more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 lb.-ft. of torque from two Mirai fuel cell stacks along with a 12-kilowatt-hour battery. This vehicle is expected to have a combined weight of capacity of 80,000 pounds using an estimated range of more than 200 miles per fill in normal drayage operation.
But now, Toyota and Hino have decided to introduce a truck based on the technology of fuel-cell electricity. They will leverage the newly developed Hino XL chassis series truck with Toyota’s proven full-cell technology. This will generate the delivery of exceptional capability without the emission of harmful greenhouse gases.
Looking forward to the launch in the first half of 2021!
Toyota has officially announced that this truck is expected to hit the markets of North America in the first half of the coming year.
Here’s what the officials of Toyota and Hino said…
Tak Yokoo, Senior Executive Engineer, Toyota Research and Development has announced, “A fuel cell-powered version of the Hino XL Series is a win-win for both customers and the community. It will be quiet, smooth and powerful while emitting nothing but water.”
Whereas, “Hino shares a common focus with Toyota when it comes to durability, reliability, and innovation with the customer at the center of design which makes this collaboration a game-changer”, said Glenn Ellis, Hino’s Senior Vice President – Customer Experience.
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