Hino Announces Production of Class 8 Fuel Truck
As a major leader in automotive innovation, it should come as no surprise that Hino Trucks, partnered with Toyota Motor North America, recently announced the production of a Class 8 fuel-cell electric truck. This is big news in the transport-truck sphere, where the effects of emissions from XL vehicles on our environment continues to be a topic of concern. As more industries realize the importance of finding sustainable fuel sources, there’s been a race towards developing zero-emission electric trucks - and Hino is taking the lead.
This new Hino initiative, nicknamed Project Z, is focused on one main goal: to create a lineup of reliable trucks, including Class 4 to Class 8 Hino trucks, that deliver unbeatable performance without any harmful emissions. The plan? Toyota’s well-developed fuel cell technology is being combined with Hino’s trustworthy chassis to create capable, powerful and versatile zero-emissions battery electric vehicles. Hino XL Series vehicles are well known for their ability to tackle tough jobs, and having these large vehicles do the same work, while emitting only water, is nothing short of groundbreaking.
When Can We Expect These New Emission-Free Trucks to Come to Market?
This is far from a futuristic concept for Hino Trucks and Toyota Motors. Toyota has been at the forefront of electric vehicle innovation for decades, and has been developing their fuel cell tech for over 20 years. The concept of combining this tech with Class 8 trucks was born in 2017, and teams from both companies have been working feverishly to bring it to market as quickly as possible. Why the rush? Tak Yokoo, senior executive engineer at Toyota Research and Development, notes that the world needs green solutions now more than ever before. "The market needs those zero emission trucks now. Today,” he says (Trucking Info).
Hino and Toyota engineers are excited to announce that these new zero-emission Class 8 trucks will begin production in the early half of 2021, and are expected to come to market shortly after. With our world experiencing rapid changes that demand innovative solutions, the short-term timeline for the release of these future-friendly Hino trucks is very exciting.
Green Automotive Technology Benefits Everybody
Business owners, customers, employees and the community at large all benefit from green technology in the automotive space. Making the switch to electric XL vehicles, like Hino Class 8 trucks, helps eliminate the production of harmful emissions, and greatly reduces noise pollution caused by large trucks. Electric vehicles also deliver a smooth and powerful ride, creating a new driving experience for employees who spend long hours behind the wheel. Business-owners stand to save countless thousands of dollars on fuel in the long run, and with Hino’s dependable parts, powertrain and engineering fully intact, can continue to trust the award-winning quality that they’ve come to expect from Hino trucks.
Keep up-to-date with all of the latest Hino news by following our Somerville Hino Blog, and don’t forget that our team is always here to answer your questions about Hino trucks, truck leasing, upfitting and so much more. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your Somerville Hino team, Toronto’s top source for all things Hino.
