Toyota Improves the Range of Its Fuel Cell Truck

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The enhanced Beta truck is part of a large scale pilot project from the Japanese car manufacturer. The heavy-duty truck can travel up to 482 kilometres on a full tank, an increase of 161 kilometres compared to the first generation. "By evaluating the first truck in our test facilities and on real-life roads in the Los Angeles area, we have drawn up a list of improvements to the production and performance of the Beta truck," said Andrew Lund, chief engineer of the Portal project. 

Toyota has been testing its hydrogen fuel cell drive especially for heavy-duty trucks since 2017. The Alpha truck, which was tested around Long Beach and Los Angeles, offers more than 493 kilowatts (670 hp) of power and maximum torque of almost 1,800 newton-meters with two fuel cell stacks and a 12 kilowatt-hour battery. It has already covered more than 16,000 kilometres on test roads. Compared to its predecessor, the Beta truck now offers an additional sleeping cabin and more space in the driver's cabin thanks to a newly designed tank. Testing of the improved version of the fuel cell truck is scheduled to begin in autumn.