Toyota and Paccar Develop Hydrogen Trucks for Los Angeles Ports

The Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and the American truck manufacturer Paccar have announced that they have joined forces to develop trucks that run on hydrogen. It concerns a limited number of trucks that are intended for the ports of Los Angeles.

Brian Lindgren, a director of Paccar division Kenworth, says supplying energy in the form of hydrogen makes more sense than just via batteries when it comes to heavy trucks with a weight limit of more than 14,969kg, CNBC writes. Lindgren states that the trucks that run on hydrogen can be refueled faster and have a longer range. According to the director, drivers like hydrogen trucks because they are ‘spicy and quiet’.

Recently, Toyota and Paccar have already unveiled a number of prototypes of the hydrogen trucks. According to Teslarati, these are Kenworth T680 trucks that have been modified for hydrogen propulsion. Toyota and Paccar have not yet released official specifications for the trucks, but a range of 482km should be possible under normal conditions. Lindgren did say that the consumption is comparable to that of diesel trucks, namely 2.1 to 3 km per litre.

Tesla will eventually come with fully electrically powered semi-trucks, including versions that also have to cover 482 km. There should also be versions with a range of 750 to 800 km. Elon Musk does not believe in hydrogen and has more often described fuel cells that use hydrogen as fool cells.

The intention is that the trucks from Paccar and Toyota will in any case be used to transport cargo to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. About 16,000 regular trucks now drive there. The local authorities want to get rid of this by 2035 at the latest, partly due to the air pollution in the region.