As part of Toyota's commitment to be carbon neutral by the year 2035, the world's largest automaker is looking at every sector to move to more clean energy sources to power its manufacturing centers and the vehicles they produce.
Rachel Kopczyk explains how Toyota is going all-in on hydrogen fuel cell technology in the big trucks seen on the highway.
After thousands of miles of real-world testing in the harsh environment of commercial trucking, Toyota is taking its ground-breaking hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric technology from prototypes to production,
in its efforts towards carbon neutrality.
Building a fuel cell drive train kit has never been done in one of Toyota's plants outside of Japan. It's a unique opportunity to develop the skills that will lay the groundwork for their transition into a mobility company.
Starting in the fall of 2020, a Toyota motor manufacturing facility in Kentucky began assembling fuel cell drive train modules destined for use in hydrogen-powered heavy-duty commercial trucks.
The fuel cell kits bring Toyota's electrification strategy further into focus, as it will allow truck manufacturers to incorporate emissions-free fuel cell electric technology into existing platforms with the technical support of Toyota under the hood.
By offering truck-makers a diesel alternative that's carbon neutral, and has the quality and reliability of Toyota behind it, Toyota is paving the way for bid reductions in pollution areas where it's needed most.
Toyota will also offer its power train integration expertise that will help truck makers adapt these emissions-free drive train systems to a wide variety of applications in the heavy-duty trucking sector.
Toyota is ramping up the early testing phase with the first expected use of the modules by clients in 2023.
Earlier this year, Toyota introduced its second-generation Mirai, a passenger vehicle that runs on hydrogen and emits only water vapor in the California and Hawaii markets.
Sponsored by Toyota.
