Toyota will provide FCV technology to BAIC Group and launch fuel cell trucks

Toyota plans to provide its fuel cell vehicle (FCV) technology to Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Group Corporation (BAIC), The Japan Times reported. The technology will be provided to BAIC's commercial vehicle division, which plans to use Toyota's fuel cell system to build buses. The purpose of building these buses is to serve the Winter Olympics to be held in China in 2022. Toyota's move is aimed at expanding its business in the Chinese market.

Separately, Toyota, Kenworth, the Port of Los Angeles and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) jointly launched a fuel cell heavy-duty truck developed by Toyota and Kenworth at the Port of Los Angeles, according to a company release. Toyota and Kenworth plan to deploy 10 trucks as part of the Zero and Near Zero Emission Freight Facility Project (ZANZEFF) to transport cargo arriving at the port. The project is part of CARB's $41 million plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "Toyota is committed to fuel cell technology as a future powertrain because it is a clean, scalable platform that can meet a variety of mobility needs at zero emissions," said Bob Carter, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Operations. "The ZANZEFF collaboration and innovative 'Shore-to-Store' project enables us to commercialize heavy-duty truck fuel cell technology."

The project started operations in April 2017 and since then the test trucks have travelled more than 14,000 miles (22,531 km) in real daily operations. The next project phase includes two large-capacity hydrogen refuelling stations developed by Shell. Together with three other hydrogen refuelling stations, these two new hydrogen refuelling stations will form a five-station integrated heavy-duty truck refuelling network.

This is Toyota's first collaboration with a Chinese automaker on hydrogen-powered vehicles, as the company seeks to expand its presence in China, the world's largest auto market by volume. Prior to the collaboration, Toyota had announced plans to provide free access to nearly 24,000 electric vehicle patents to promote the widespread use of electric vehicles and help governments, automakers and communities achieve climate change-related goals. These patents include patents for fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cell technology, which converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, and electric vehicles are gaining attention in China as the country continues to work to address air pollution. China is still in the early stages of commercializing this technology, and many cities are working with automakers to promote the development of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry. In February 2019, the Changshu government announced its plan to establish a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry cluster by 2030, with an annual industrial output value of US$14.8 billion.

Toyota said the co-developed zero-emission truck has an estimated range of 300 miles (483 kilometers) per charge, twice the average daily mileage of a typical truck. "The state's significant climate investment, combined with the cooperation of project partners, will help increase the number of zero-emission trucks in California's communities and neighboring areas where they are most needed," said CARB Chair Mary Nichols. "It will demonstrate innovative heavy-duty fuel cell electric technology in real work. This project provides a commercial solution to transport freight across the state using zero-emission trucks and equipment to protect air quality and reduce emissions that affect the climate." The first truck is expected to be put into operation in the fourth quarter of this year. The announcement is an extension of the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 strategy, which aims to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from truck operations.