Last year Toyota unveiled the Project Portal – a fuel cell powered semi truck and now Toyota has unveiled the second version of its hydrogen fuel cell electric Class 8 truck. The Toyota Project Portal 2.0, which is known internally as “Beta,” expands on the capabilities of the first truck by increasing its range to more than 300 miles.
In addition to the increased driving rante, the Project Portal 2.0 now has a sleeper cab and a unique fuel cabinet combination that increases the cab space without increasing the wheelbase. The original Project Portal debuted in April 2017 and since then Toyota says that it’s logged nearly 10,000 miles of testing and real-world drayage operations in and around the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
“By evaluating the first truck in our test facilities and on the actual roads in the LA area, we made a list of improvements for the Beta truck build process and performance enhancements,” said Andrew Lund, chief engineer for the project. He continued, “We needed to move beyond a proof of concept, which the first truck accomplished, to something that is not only better than the original but is also more commercially viable.”
Project Portal 2.0 will begin its real world testing in the fall. Even with the increased driving range, Project Portal 2.0 (Beta) has the same horsepower and torque ratings as the first truck, at 670-plus horsepower and 1325 lb-ft. of torque.
“Our goal with the first truck was to see if it could be accomplished, and we did that,” said senior manager for Toyota’s North American Electrified Vehicle & Technologies Office, Craig Scott. “This time we’re looking at commercial viability. We want to help make a difference—a significant difference when it comes to the air quality not only in the LA area, but across the U.S. and around the globe.”
Source: Toyota
