Toyota, Kenworth, UPS, the California Air Resources Board, the Port of Los Angeles and Shell met at the Port of Los Angeles on Monday for the unveiling of the first Kenworth-Toyota Fuel Cell Electric Truck. It is the first of 10 zero-emissions Kenworth T680 test units that will haul cargo at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and throughout the L.A. Basin. The trucks are being funded by a $41 million grant from CARB to the Port of Los Angeles as part of the Zero and Near-Zero Emissions Freight Facilities (ZANZEFF) Project.
“Toyota is committed to fuel cell electric technology as a powertrain for the future because it’s a clean, scalable platform that can meet a broad range of mobility needs with zero emissions,” said Bob Carter, Executive Vice President for Automotive Operations Toyota. “The ZANZEFF collaboration and the innovative ‘Shore-to Store’ project allow us to move Heavy-Duty Truck Fuel Cell Electric technology towards commercialization.”
The zero-emissions T680 expands on Toyota’s fuel cell technology, which has been at work in Southern California since 2017 through two Class 8 fuel-cell trucks the automaker launched under Project Portal. The proof-of-concept trucks have logged more than 14,000 miles of testing and drayage operations in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The Kenworth-Toyota T680 offers an estimated range of more than 300 miles per fill — twice that of a typical drayage daily duty cycle. The trucks will fuel up on Shell’s expanding hydrogen fuel infrastructure. The first truck is expected to go to work in the fourth quarter.
“The collaboration between the Port of Los Angeles, Kenworth, Toyota and Shell is providing an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell electric technology in both drayage service and regional haul commercial vehicle applications operating in Southern California,” said Mike Dozier, general manager of Kenworth. “The performance of the 10 Kenworth Class 8 trucks being developed under this program – the first of which debuted today – is targeted to meet or exceed that of a diesel-powered truck, while producing water as the only emissions byproduct.”
