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This tech is still years away from seeing mass adoption on the roadways, but Toyota is readying its powertrain to see production start next year. As a simple pr

This tech is still years away from seeing mass adoption on the roadways, but Toyota is readying its powertrain to see production start next year. As a simple proof of concept, the folks at Toyota stuffed their powertrain into a Kenworth T680 and took yours truly along for a ride. What is Toyota's plan while everyone else goes fully electric? Hope people just prefer a clunky old gas guzzler and high oil prices?

seper8 4y ago
This kind of sentiment existed in the 80's and 90's when talking about electric cars. Then a lot of innovation happened and suddenly everyone wants one. Don't be so arrogant.
- onethought 4y ago
  You are comparing 80s tech to now? Where we literally have high performance electric vehicles that cost less to run than their lower performance gas cousins. It’s not arrogance to point out the obvious cognitive dissonance Toyota is experiencing, it’s stubbornness on Toyotas part to not acknowledge what is happening. My guess is Toyota has done the math and as a volume car supplier it could never secure enough BEV materials to make the kind of volumes it needs to to maintain its current sales, so it’s betting / hoping on an alternative.
  - rich_sasha 4y ago
    I think for the most part it's great for everyone, except perhaps Toyota - and perhaps not. If hydrogen is a dead end, plenty of car makers are making battery electric cars, little loss to the future. But you never know what invention is just around the corner. It might just be a good bet. Battery electric cars still have drawbacks that can be improved on, hydrogen is behind but it's great that alternatives are considered in earnest.
scoopertrooper 4y ago
The subject of this article is a class 8 semi trailer. The economics in this space accentuate some of Hydrogen’s advantages of Lithium batteries. For instance, trucks must meet certain maximum weight requirements to be legal on roads due the damage they might otherwise cause. Lithium based batteries store much less energy for a unit of weight, so designers must make a harsh trade off between cargo capacity and range. Toyota claims that their prototype has about twice the range than the BYD 8TT, which is an all electric class 8 semi trailer. Depending on how the development of batteries progresses, Hydrogen based tracks may end up being the most effective way forward. At least, till there is a fundamental advancement in alternative energy storage mediums.
- vardump 4y ago
  What's the range of Toyota's prototype truck? Quick Googling: "The battery used in the 8TT has more than 400 kWh of capacity, which according to the manufacturer translates into an all-electric range of 124 miles at full load or 167 miles at half load." While this seems more interesting: "Tesla describes the Semi as "a Beast" - "More powerful, more efficient and fully electric. Semi is the future of trucking." The company has maintained the core numbers, including two battery versions for about 300 miles (483 km) or 500 miles (804 km) of driving range when fully loaded.19 Aug 2022"

seper8 4y ago

This kind of sentiment existed in the 80's and 90's when talking about electric cars. Then a lot of innovation happened and suddenly everyone wants one. Don't be so arrogant.

onethought 4y ago
You are comparing 80s tech to now? Where we literally have high performance electric vehicles that cost less to run than their lower performance gas cousins. It’s not arrogance to point out the obvious cognitive dissonance Toyota is experiencing, it’s stubbornness on Toyotas part to not acknowledge what is happening. My guess is Toyota has done the math and as a volume car supplier it could never secure enough BEV materials to make the kind of volumes it needs to to maintain its current sales, so it’s betting / hoping on an alternative.
- rich_sasha 4y ago
  I think for the most part it's great for everyone, except perhaps Toyota - and perhaps not. If hydrogen is a dead end, plenty of car makers are making battery electric cars, little loss to the future. But you never know what invention is just around the corner. It might just be a good bet. Battery electric cars still have drawbacks that can be improved on, hydrogen is behind but it's great that alternatives are considered in earnest.

scoopertrooper 4y ago

The subject of this article is a class 8 semi trailer. The economics in this space accentuate some of Hydrogen’s advantages of Lithium batteries. For instance, trucks must meet certain maximum weight requirements to be legal on roads due the damage they might otherwise cause. Lithium based batteries store much less energy for a unit of weight, so designers must make a harsh trade off between cargo capacity and range. Toyota claims that their prototype has about twice the range than the BYD 8TT, which is an all electric class 8 semi trailer. Depending on how the development of batteries progresses, Hydrogen based tracks may end up being the most effective way forward. At least, till there is a fundamental advancement in alternative energy storage mediums.

vardump 4y ago
What's the range of Toyota's prototype truck? Quick Googling: "The battery used in the 8TT has more than 400 kWh of capacity, which according to the manufacturer translates into an all-electric range of 124 miles at full load or 167 miles at half load." While this seems more interesting: "Tesla describes the Semi as "a Beast" - "More powerful, more efficient and fully electric. Semi is the future of trucking." The company has maintained the core numbers, including two battery versions for about 300 miles (483 km) or 500 miles (804 km) of driving range when fully loaded.19 Aug 2022"