Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell truck is being tested at the Port of LA

A concept version of Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell truck is being used to move goods from the Port of Los Angeles.

This is part of a feasibility study, part of which is to test the port’s efforts to reduce harmful emissions.

The truck will be travelling short-haul drayage routes, departing from the Port of LA or Long Beach, moving goods to rail yards and warehouses for distribution.

Toyota has estimated the vehicle will travel around 200 miles per day. These shorter journeys are to test the duty-cycle capabilities of the fuel cell system, with longer haul routes to be introduced as the journey progresses.

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The Japanese company announced its plan to build zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell trucks last April. The truck generates more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound-fleet of torque from two Mirai fuel cell stacks and a 12kWh batter.

Hydrogen fuel cells use compressed hydrogen as their fuel to allow them to only release water vapour as an emission.

Vehicles powered by hydrogen have recently attainted performance and range numbers high enough to replace the average gasoline-powered car.

The difficulty these vehicles face is the lack of fuelling stations, which are often the most easily accessible at ports and warehouses.

Toyota began selling hydrogen-powered vehicles in 2015, with its Mirai Seda, and plans to continue with a hydrogen-powered bus to be released this year in Tokyo.