It is the American truck manufacturers Kenworth and Peterbilt that will start manufacturing fuel cell vehicles as early as 2025. The drive technology comes from Toyota and the range should, according to the manufacturers, be over 700 kilometers.
When it comes to fuel cells, Toyota has been a pioneer in the passenger car segment. They have also gained some experience with heavy hydrogen vehicles in close cooperation with the American truck manufacturer Kenworth. They have been testing fuel cell operation for freight transport in and around the California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles since 2017 in something called Project Portal.
That project is now entering a new phase when the first customers will be supplied with regular tractors for the American market equipped with Toyota’s fuel cells as early as 2024. However, the actual series production will start in 2025. Concretely, it is again about the Kenworth T680 models, but also about its sister model Peterbilt 579. Both brands belong to Paccar which also has connections to DAF.
According to the manufacturer, the vehicles tested in Project Portal recently could go more than 480 kilomters on a tank. For the series-produced vehicles, there is talk of a range of over 720 kilometers. The powertrain with two Toyota electric motors is said to deliver 420 hp. According to the manufacturer, the 700 bar hydrogen tanks can be filled in about 20 minutes.
Image: Kenworth
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