Toyota celebrated the grand opening of its “Tri-gen” powered vehicle processing and distribution center at the Port of Long Beach, California.
Toyota Logistics Services (TLS) at Long Beach is now fully powered by on-site renewable energy thanks to FuelCell Energy’s Tri-gen system.
Tri-gen uses renewable biogas in a combustion-free process to produce renewable electricity, renewable hydrogen, and usable water. The process emits virtually no air pollutants.
TLS is utilizing all three end products to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its Long Beach facility and make operations more sustainable. It is expected that the Tri-gen system will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 9,000 tons each year and avoid more than six tons of harmful NOx emissions.
“The green power generated by the Tri-gen system, and similar projects, is part of our multilayered strategy to fuel our goal to become the world’s first zero-emissions port,” said Mario Cordero, CEO of the Port of Long Beach.
Nothing Goes to Waste
The 2.3 MW of renewable electricity generated by the system powers TLS’ port operations. Any excess electricity is sent to Southern California Edison as part of the California Bioenergy Market Adjustment Tariff program, providing the utility with a renewable, resilient, and affordable electric generation resource.
The Tri-gen system can produce up to 1,200 kg of renewable hydrogen per day and can be ramped up or down based on demand. Since the facility’s construction was completed in September 2023, some of the renewable hydrogen has been fueling the automaker’s Mirai, a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).
Renewable hydrogen is also used to fuel TLS drayage and logistics vehicles at the port, including an FCEV Kenworth T680 Class 8 truck. It’s expected that utilizing Class 8 FCEVs for port operations could reduce annual diesel consumption by over 420,000 gallons.
Finally, the 1,400 gallons of water produced as a byproduct of the hydrogen generation process is being used to wash cars that come into the port prior to their delivery to the customer, reducing TLS’ demand on the local water supply.
“This groundbreaking facility shows that there are ways to reduce our emissions and burden on natural resources with scalable technology based on hydrogen,” said Tom Stricker, Group Vice President of Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Toyota.
New Rules on Zero-Emission Vehicles
With the California Advanced Clean Fleet Regulation going into effect at the beginning of 2024, all new drayage trucks registered in California must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). That same regulation also mandates that all drayage vehicles be ZEVs by 2035. Drayage vehicles are Class 7 and 8 vehicles that transport containers to and from seaports and intermodal rail yards.
For Toyota, this move to hydrogen is a considerable step in future-proofing TLS' port operations and remaining compliant with state regulations.
“Tri-gen demonstrates that hydrogen-based energy can benefit businesses, deliver zero-emission transportation for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, support improved air quality in local communities, reduce water usage, and deliver immediate and long-term benefits to the environment,” said FuelCell Energy President and CEO Jason Few.
