- CARB Executive Order certifies Toyota's heavy-duty fuel cell
electric powertrain kit as a Zero-Emission Powertrain (ZEP)
- Allows qualified heavy-duty truck manufacturers using the fuel
cell electric powertrain kit to be eligible for incentives
- Toyota plans to begin assembly of new, more efficient fuel cell
modules for hydrogen-powered, heavy-duty commercial trucks at its
Kentucky plant later this
year
PLANO,
Texas, April 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Heavy-duty
Class 8 commercial truck original equipment manufacturers and
operators now have another tool to help them comply with
increasingly strict emissions regulations in the State of California. Toyota announced today
that it was recently granted a Zero Emission Powertrain (ZEP)
Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for
its new heavy-duty fuel cell electric powertrain. The
hydrogen-fueled powertrain kit includes hydrogen fuel storage
tanks, fuel cell stacks, batteries, electric motors and
transmission, and offers a viable alternative to traditional diesel
powertrains used in commercial goods transportation as companies
look to transition their fleets to zero-emission vehicles.
CARB's ZEP Executive Order certifies that a powertrain complies
with CARB regulations for zero-emission powertrains determined to
meet specific emissions standards required for sale in California. OEMs using Toyota's certified
powertrain may also be eligible for other available incentives,
such as CARB's Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher
Incentive Project (HVIP), the Clean Truck Fund (CTF) introduced
last year by the Ports of Los
Angeles and Long Beach, and
certain federal incentives.
"Toyota aims to reduce or eliminate emissions for all mobility
solutions, and 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. "Receiving the Zero-Emission
Powertrain Executive Order from CARB is a key achievement for our
teams who have dedicated an incredible amount of time and effort,
and we are excited to offer this powertrain commercially in the
near future."
Toyota's efforts with hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck
powertrains started with Project Portal back in 2017. Toyota has
developed multiple generations of powertrain prototypes during
development, such as those found the Alpha and Beta trucks that
logged nearly 14,000 miles of testing and real-world drayage
operations in and around the Port of Los
Angeles.
Yet, it was the generation of truck named "Ocean" that showed
some of the greatest examples of how hydrogen-based powertrains
with fuel cell stacks could be used in real-world applications such
as drayage, through a proof-of-concept demonstration at the Port of
Los Angeles as part of the
Zero-and-Near-Zero Emission Freight Facilities' "Shore to Store"
Project (ZANZEFF). For the project, Toyota worked with Kenworth to
develop trucks using an updated prototype fuel cell electric
powertrain and deployed 10 Kenworth T680 Class 8 trucks. The 10
trucks served real-world customers via drayage routes, with
infrastructure support from Shell, hauling cargo between the Ports
of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the LA Basin.
Toyota's CARB ZEP-certified
powertrain kit is now ready for commercialization, with production
slated to start for customers later this year at the company's
Kentucky manufacturing plant. This
newest generation of powertrain reflects key learnings and
improvements in things like energy efficiency, package size, and
more from extensive real-world testing and development from the
company's fuel cell development engineering team. Fuel cell
electric powertrains are advantageous for heavy- and medium-duty
transport when compared to other all-electric options, such as
battery electric, as they are often lighter to allow for more
payload, and they offer more uptime thanks to fueling times that
are much closer to conventional diesel powertrains.
"We believe hydrogen will play a significant role in the
emissions reduction of heavy-duty transport while not sacrificing
the distance, power, or fueling times needed to keep these fleet
and individual operators running," said Chris Rovik, executive program manager, advanced
mobility, Toyota Motor North America. "Fuel cell technology is
scalable, and we believe it will take an increasingly visible and
important role in our collective fight to reduce and eliminate
carbon as we move towards a hydrogen society."
From creating one of the world's first mass market passenger
fuel cell electric vehicle in the Mirai, to applying and scaling
the technology now to other applications that can benefit from
zero-emissions, including heavy-duty transport, power generation
systems, and others, Toyota's research and development with
hydrogen fuel cell technology spans nearly 30 years.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in
North America for more than 65
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than
1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the
design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and
trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's 14th plant
in North Carolina will begin to
manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With
more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker,
Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
ToyotaNewsroom.com.
For Toyota customer inquiries, please call
800-331-4331.
Toyota Media Contact:
Josh Burns
Joshua.Burns@Toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America