Toyota released the image above today along with scant information on its plans to test a hydrogen fuel cell truck in the U.S. The truck shown above is certainly larger than other models currently shown on Toyota’s commercial truck brand website, hino.com.Toyota announced today its plans to test a semi-trailer truck in the U.S. powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
The automaker already markets a hydrogen fuel cell sedan in the U.S. and Japan dubbed the Mirai.
“Toyota has long maintained that hydrogen fuel cell technology could be a zero emission solution across a broad spectrum of vehicle types,” a press release states on the automaker’s website. “The scalability of this technology is enabling the automaker to explore a semi-trailer truck application for a California-based feasibility study.
“The Toyota Mirai will continue to provide a zero emission driving solution for global customers; a heavy-duty truck sized fuel cell vehicle creates a potential zero-emission freight transportation solution for the future.”
Though Toyota released an image of a long-haul tractor trailer with its press release, Forbes reported today that the hydrogen test truck will presumably come from the automaker’s Hino truck brand.
According to hino.com, the largest Hino truck sold in the U.S. is its 338 Conventional with a GVW of 33,000 pounds.
Toyota reported that additional details on the study will be announced in the coming months.
Concerning its use in automobiles, hydrogen gas has been praised for its zero carbon emissions. However, it’s been criticized for its scarcity, cost of production and indirect contribution to global warming. Hydrogen is usually obtained by reforming natural gas which creates gases that some critics say lead to global warming.
