Toyota and Fuel Cell Energy (FCE) announce a new Tri-Gen Power Plant facility at the Port of Long Beach, California that allows Toyota to receive, clean, and fuel up 200,000 vehicles per year with renewable energy and with zero emissions. How is this possible? Let’s dig in.
Toyota is looking to diversify its power sources and vehicle propulsion systems. Toyota is currently selling the Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle. Toyota is working with PACCAR and to produce a Class-8 hydrogen fuel-cell electric semi trucks – the Kenworth T680 FCEV.
Toyota operates a Toyota Logistics Services (TLS) center at the Port of Long Beach. This is a facility that receives, upfits, cleans, and ships up to 200,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles per year. For example, this includes the new 2024 Lexus GX 550, 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, and the Toyota 4Runner SUVs. These vehicles are shipped from Japan to the U.S. via this center and other TLS facilities.
The new Tri-Gen facility is designed to support all electrical power needs, hydrogen fuel needs, and water needs of this California-based TLS. Toyota says, this power station generates or is capable of generating more energy than the TLS requires. Excess energy is fed back to the public grid via the Southern California Edison company.
How Much Power?
Toyota says the Tri-Gen power station can generate 2.3 megawatts of renewable energy using biogas. The station can also produce up to 1,200 kg of hydrogen per day and up to 1,400 gallons of usable water per day.
Where Does the Biogas Come From?
The biogas for the Tri-Gen facility is produced from non-fossil organic waste (such as food waste) through an Anaerobic Digester. The biogas is then cleaned up to natural gas pipeline standards and injected into the Southern California natural gas distribution pipeline system which delivers it to the Tri-gen location at the TLS in Long Beach.
Why Did Toyota Team Up with FCE for the Tri-Gen Plant?
Toyota teamed up with Fuel Cell Energy for this project because their Tri-Gen high temperature Molten Carbonate fuel cell technology offers unique features that aren’t available on low temperature fuel cells that are used in Toyota vehicles.
This new power plant technology sounds very promising. It helps businesses (such as the Port of Long Beach and Toyota) reach their decarbonization and lower emissions goals. We will keep an eye on more facilities such as this and report on how they are progressing.
