Toyota Opens H2 HQ

Toyota has turned its facility in Gardena, CA, into a hydrogen R&D center to take advantage of the growing market for this technology in California.

The automaker has been working on hydrogen-powered mobility for three decades. But now hydrogen power and fuel-cell applications are scaling up faster in California than anywhere else in the U.S. as the state leads a national effort to convert diesel-powered trucks and stationary power to fuel cells.

Toyota is basing some 50 engineers and other specialty staff at the center to build out its capability for both vehicles and stationary power.

“We will continue to advance this scalable, zero-emission technology as part of our electrified portfolio,” says Ted Ogawa, president and CEO, Toyota Motor North America. “Renaming this facility as North American Hydrogen Headquarters represents our leadership in fuel-cell development creating real-world products to help reduce carbon emissions.”

The company currently markets one fuel-cell car, the Mirai, which it sells in small numbers. One of the problems in scaling fuel-cell cars, even in California, has been a scarcity of hydrogen refueling stations and a steady, reliable supply of hydrogen to the stations that are in place.

Toyota has hydrogen stationary power at its own port operation in Long Beach, CA, working with Fuel Cell Energy, to build a “clean” hydrogen generating station, which produces hydrogen from biomass waste gas.

The Gardena facility already provided R&D assets, including Toyota’s largest dynamometer (1.2 MW), a scalable test bench for stationary applications and a hydrogen fueling station capable of providing fuel for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Starting last year, most trucks and buses operating in California are required to be 2010 model year or newer to reduce particulate pollution and NOx emissions. And by 2036, the state will ban all internal combustion trucks.

Additionally, California is putting in a growing number of fuel-cell generators and production centers that can supply trucks and port power to cargo ships to curb emissions from diesel engines from the massive cargo industry in the state. California ports process about 40% of all containerized imports and 30% of all exports in the U.S.