Toyota’s hydrogen-powered truck is the perfect model for MIRA Technology Institute

Toyota’s hydrogen-powered truck is the perfect model for MIRA Technology Institute

At the MIRA Technology Institute’s (MTI) training facility in the Midlands, engineers and technicians are taught the essential specialist skills they need to keep pace with the innovations that are driving developments across the global automotive industry.

The purpose-designed facility is the result of a unique collaboration led by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire college (NWSLC), and its partners, HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, the University of Leicester and Loughborough University. It’s regarded as a centre of excellence and delivers accredited programmes in emerging areas such as autonomous vehicles and electrification for professionals of all levels – from apprentices to chartered engineers.

Hands-on skills training is delivered in fully equipped workshop spaces that create a ‘live’ industry environment. The workshops are configured to meet the demands of diverse training sessions, which often means shifting heavy and cumbersome automotive parts as well as complete cars into positions where they can be easily and safely accessed and studied by the students. 

In line with the steps it has already taken towards becoming a Hydrogen training centre of excellence and to support the Institute’s day-to-day operations, the MTI has acquired a hydrogen-powered Toyota Levio LPE 220 powered pallet truck.

The 2.2 tonne capacity Levio LPE 220 is usually powered by a lead acid or Lithium-Ion battery but, to meet the MTI’s sustainability plans and double up as a new hydrogen training demo tool for courses, the truck was ordered with a hydrogen fuel cell.

With the hydrogen fuel cell containing the stack and the hydrogen tank located where the lead-acid battery would normally be,  the hydrogen-powered Levio LPE 220 takes just 2-3 minutes to fully refuel and gives off zero emissions.  

The MIRA Technology Park is in the process of installing the infrastructure needed to produce and store hydrogen on site. A hydrogen electrolyser system will convert energy from the sun’s rays into hydrogen to power the truck’s fuel cells, which means that 100 per cent of the hydrogen needed to run the truck will come from renewable sources.

But that isn’t everything. In addition to its courses on Emerging Technology in Electric Vehicles, Connected Autonomous Vehicles and Automotive Safety Systems, the MTI offers several ‘Excellence in Hydrogen’ workshops. These classes show logistics operators how to make their business ‘hydrogen ready’ and the Toyota powered pallet truck will be used as a visual aid to help lecturers as they demonstrate fuel cell technology.

Craig Line, NWSLC’s Emerging Technology Manager, says: “We plan to develop hydrogen training specifically for logistics professionals who want to learn how their warehouses or distribution centres can benefit from hydrogen material handling technology. In addition, our hydrogen vehicle awareness workshops focus on the skills truck operators need to ensure that they use the new technology efficiently and safely. Having the Toyota hydrogen pallet truck in our workshop helps lecturers clarify concepts and communicate information to students very effectively.”

Phil Tunney, Toyota Material Handling’s Hydrogen Product Manager, commented: “Toyota’s experience with hydrogen-powered forklifts goes back nearly two decades. Toyota Hydrogen fuel cell- forklifts have been in operation at sites across the Nordic region and Europe as well as Australia for several years. And, of course, in the automotive sector the Toyota Mirai is at the forefront of a new age of hydrogen fuel cell cars that deliver long distance zero-emissions driving.”

Phil added: “With operators of some very large materials handling equipment fleets, keen to embrace the productivity and sustainability benefits hydrogen technology can deliver, we are anticipating a big up-take of hydrogen-powered trucks in the UK logistics industry. 95% of trucks in the Toyota range can already be supplied from our factory with a fuel cell installed.”

Russell Field

Russell Field is Managing Director of a contemporary marketing agency with clients in the haulage, distribution, freight and logistics industries. Russell holds a BSc (Hons) in Marketing and specialises in digital marketing and research.

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