Toyota supersizes battery in fuel-cell semi, teases formula for pickups

In its latest production-bound version of hydrogen fuel-cell semis, Toyota is adding much more of something that will help it go the distance consistently: batteries.

Hydrogen fuel cell power is often seen as an alternative to batteries, but here the latter makes the former better. Toyota has opted to fit 200 kwh of lithium-ion NCA (nickel cobalt aluminum) battery cells in the special hydrogen fuel-cell Kenworth T680 set to be showcased at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo later this month.

It’s a formula that may serve as a template for the future for making hydrogen fuel-cell commercial vehicles viable, and as Toyota executives underscored this past week, the batteries are a necessary piece to create an effective regional-use fuel-cell semi.

Kenworth-Toyota fuel-cell semi with 200-kwh battery pack

Such a big battery pack isn’t needed the vast majority of the time, but it gives this format a lot more flexibility. This huge Class 8 semi is an evolution of the hydrogen fuel-cell semis that Toyota and Kenworth have tested in prototype form for years with port duty and local runs, and with this change the semi is now good for regional runs: up to 82,000 pounds of payload and a target 300 miles no matter what the terrain—or up to 450 miles on calmer terrain.

Batteries are always used as an energy buffer with fuel-cell stacks, which take some time to ramp up and are best producing a steady power output. Having a much larger battery pack on board helps ultimately boost the efficiency of this semi’s fuel-cell stack, Toyota said, and the battery pack potentially allows a great amount of energy recovery on steeper downgrades.

In its latest version, this specially fitted Kenworth T680 can comfortably get from Long Beach, California, over the infamous Interstate 5 Grapevine, at speed, with a full load, to Barstow and back—nearly 270 miles—without needing to ever worry about being refueled.

Up to 450 miles of range on a hydrogen fill

The latest prototype produces 415 hp of continuous power through a 310-kw dual-motor system, and it returns an official range of up to 450 miles from its 58.8 kg of hydrogen. It’s set to be powered by a modularized kit built on