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Old Faithful: Toyota Camry Hybrid Battery Packs to Power Yellowstone Ranch

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Toyota Camry Hybrid Battery Packs

A park ranger next to one of the park’s Camry Hybrids

Toyota Camry Hybrid Battery Packs

One of Yellowstone’s Toyota Highlanders

This fall, Yellowstone National Park will get a very special—and eco-friendly—addition. Toyota, which has happily partnered with and supported Yellowstone since 2004, will donate 208 used Toyota Camry Hybrid battery packs to the park to store energy created by solar panels and micro-hydro turbine systems at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch field campuses. The power stored in the nickel-metal hydride battery packs will provide more than enough energy to power the campus’ five buildings, and will help make Yellowstone greener than ever.

Toyota’s partnership with Yellowstone dates back 10 years to when the Japanese automaker first donated four Prius hybrids to the park in an effort to support visitor services and lower overall emissions in one of America’s most beloved landmarks. Since then, Toyota has donated an additional eight vehicles, including a Camry Hybrid, two Highlander Hybrids, and two Tundras.

Toyota Camry Hybrid Battery Packs

One of Yellowstone’s Toyota RAV4s

But vehicle donations aren’t the only way Toyota supports Yellowstone—the automaker made a $50,000 donation earlier this year to help sustainability efforts at Lamar Buffalo Ranch. Additionally, Toyota gave $1 million to help with the construction of the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center (OFVEC), and offered expertise and advice during construction which resulted in OFVEC becoming the first National Park visitor center to achieve Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Installation of the Camry Hybrid battery packs to power Yellowstone will begin this fall. So if you’re planning a trip to Yellowstone next year, make sure you stop by and see the finished product!