Meet Toyota’s hydrogen-powered semi
The Los Angeles Auto Show’s tradition of introducing green tech and green vehicles continues. Toyota showed up with its massive Kenworth semi-truck and trailer retrofitted with two hydrogen fuel cells. The fuel cells came from two existing Toyota Mirai hydrogen-powered sedans, while the motor was purpose-built to move up to 80,000 pounds silently and emit only water vapor. In fact, the noisiest feature on the rig is the air compressor that powers the brakes. And the horn of course.
Toyota claims their truck generates 670-hp and an incredible 1,325 lb-ft. torque. And unlike the Mirai, this semi is fast relative to traditional diesel rigs. Check the video for a head-to-head acceleration demo video between the FCV truck and a diesel tractor-trailer. Add this to Tesla’s electric truck prototype with its relatively quick acceleration and you’d think that semi-truck tractor racing has become the new sport of kings amongst California-based truck engineering teams.
Toyota’s been their FCV truck in the Port of Los Angeles for months, which makes sense. With a range of only 200 miles, this behemoth is purpose-built for short ship-to-rail/warehouse runs. And since it’s Los Angeles, spending a lot of time sitting in traffic.
All you semi-rig drivers out there, tell us what you think of this technology. We’d love to hear your expert thoughts.