Toyota, Kenworth, UPS, the California Air Resources Board, the Port of Los Angeles and Shell recently met at the Port of Los Angeles for the unveiling of the first Kenworth-Toyota Fuel Cell Electric Truck, 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 Truck Company and PACCAR vice president. “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.”
The ZANZEFF trucks provide a large-scale shore-to-store plan and a hydrogen fuel-cell-electric technology framework for freight facilities to structure operations for future goods movement that strive for zero-emissions particularly in highly congested areas. The initiative will help reduce emissions by over 500 tons of Greenhouse Gas and 0.72 weighted tons of NOx, ROG and PM10. That’s welcomed news in Southern California where over 16,000 trucks serve the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complexes – North America’s largest trade gateway for containerized cargo. That number that is estimated to grow to 32,000 by 2030. Currently, more than 43,000 drayage trucks are in operation at ports across the U.S.
“This substantial climate investment by the state, matched by the project partners, will help speed up the number of zero-emission trucks in the California communities and neighborhoods where they are needed the most,” said CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols. “It will provide a real world at-work demonstration of innovative heavy-duty fuel-cell electric technologies. The project offers a commercial solution to move cargo and freight around the state using zero-emission trucks and equipment that protect air quality and cut climate-changing emissions.”
The trucks will move cargo from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports throughout the Los Angeles area, the Inland Empire, the Port of Hueneme, and eventually to Merced. The trucks will be operated by Toyota Logistics Services (4), United Parcel Services (3), Total Transportation Services Inc. (2), and Southern Counties Express (1).
“It’s an honor for UPS to be collaborating with Toyota, Shell and Kenworth on such a trail-blazing project,” said Carlton Rose, president of global fleet maintenance and engineering for UPS. “As a company always looking for the next innovative technology to better serve our customers, UPS was very pleased to be selected as a demonstrating partner for the hydrogen fuel cell electric semi project. With more than 10,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles in our fleet today, UPS has a long history of pioneering and evaluating technologies that aid us in decreasing our environmental footprint.”
The Kenworth-Toyota T680 will be on display this week at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach.
