Toyota and Hino to jointly develop heavy-duty fuel cell truck

Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines will jointly develop a heavy-duty fuel cell truck, and to proceed with initiatives toward its practical use through verification tests and other means.

Toyota and Hino are determined to take proactive action toward resolving global environmental issues as one of the most important corporate tasks. The two companies have declared ambitious goals to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050 and are developing electric vehicle (EV) technologies for widespread use in society. In order to achieve further reductions in CO2 emissions, major improvements will be required in the environmental performance of heavy-duty trucks, which account for about 60 per cent of the total CO2 emissions from commercial vehicles in Japan.

For the electrification of commercial vehicles, the optimum powertrain must be adopted to ensure both outstanding environmental performance and just-right practicality as a business vehicle in terms of cruising range, load capacity, and other aspects depending on the usage. Heavy-duty trucks are typically used for highway transportation; therefore, they are required to have sufficient cruising range and load capacity as well as fast refueling capability. For this reason, fuel cell vehicles that run on hydrogen with its higher energy density are considered effective.

Also, cruising range will be set at approximately 600 km, aiming to meet high standards.