Toyota reported that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has granted it a Zero Emission Powertrain (ZEP) Executive Order for its new heavy-duty fuel cell electric powertrain.
The hydrogen fuel storage tanks, fuel cell stacks, batteries, electric motors and gearbox are all included in the hydrogen fuel powertrain kit. As businesses try to convert their fleets to zero-emission vehicles, Toyota claims that it offers a credible alternative to conventional diesel powertrains used in commercial goods transportation.
The ZEP Executive Order issued by CARB attests to a powertrain’s compliance with CARB rules for zero-emission powertrains that have been found to fulfil the required emissions requirements for sale in California.
The Clean Truck Fund (CTF), which the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach introduced last year, the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), and some federal incentives may also be available to OEMs using Toyota’s certified powertrain.
“Our fuel cell electric powertrains have proven that hydrogen can play a significant role in the emissions reduction of emissions from heavy-duty transportation,” said Scott Friedman, senior program manager, advanced mobility, Toyota Motor North America.
Toyota began working on hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicle powertrains with Project Portal in 2017. The Alpha and Beta trucks, which have completed about 22531km of testing and practical drayage operations in and around the Port of Los Angeles, are examples of the numerous generations of powertrain prototypes that Toyota has created throughout the course of its development.
Toyota’s CARB ZEP-certified powertrain package is now prepared for commercialization, and at its Kentucky manufacturing facility, customer production is expected to begin later this year. The manufacturer claims that the company’s fuel cell development engineering team’s real-world testing and development have led to significant insights and advancements in energy efficiency, package size, and other areas that are reflected in this most recent generation of powertrain.
Toyota’s research and development with hydrogen fuel cell technology span nearly 30 years, starting with the creation of the Mirai. It’s one of the world’s first mass-market passenger fuel cell electric vehicles, scaling the technology now to other applications that can profit from zero-emissions, including heavy-duty transport, power generation systems, and others.
