Hino Australia boss Richard Emery has told the truck media the company is doubling down on hybrid powertrains for its trucks, calling them the perfect bridge from diesel power to a world of battery electric and zero emission drivelines, which he says are realistically still a few years away from mainstream use.
Speaking at a media briefing in Darwin, Emery, who is president and CEO of the Japanese manufacturer’s Australian subsidiary, told the gathered journalists that hybrid drivelines are the best direction to emissions reduction through low and zero emission vehicles.
“Diesel powertrains in trucks will remain the pre-eminent solution in the Australian trucking industry beyond 2030,” he said.
“We believe Hybrid will be the only high volume, lower-emission truck in Australia over the next decade, and Hino is currently the only manufacturer to offer one.
“Battery electric will be a key part of the future fleet in Australia in certain applications, while hydrogen will also be a factor in the next decade, probably in long haul applications to begin with,” he said.
Emery pointed out that battery electric powertrains are still a difficult sell for a number of reasons and in light duty have hardly set the world on fire. If you look at the registration numbers so far this year BEV light duty trucks sales have barely broken 20 and are probably close to ten units with Foton Mobility registering nine and Fuso eCanter only a handful more.
The Hino boss says that the brand believes it will sell around 300 hybrid models in Australia this year, with plans for 400 next year and 500 in 2027.
Hino says it is the only brand in Australia that is working on all drivetrain solutions, with its parent company in Japan having already started trials with a heavy-duty 700 Series as a hydrogen fuel cell truck, which started more than two years ago.
“As our competitors begin to offer diesel options that meet Euro 6 emissions compliance as our hybrid does, the gap in monthly lease payments between hybrid and diesel will continue to decrease,” he continued.
Hino claims its hybrids are increasing in popularity among customers across a greater range of applications with 31 per cent of last year’s hybrid deliveries received by first-time Hybrid customers.
“We have our existing diesel offerings, we have an existing hybrid offering in 300 Series and we are working to add a 700 Series hybrid to that if we can, we are undertaking a trial on a Dutro EV, which we showed at the Brisbane Truck Show and obviously Hino has hydrogen trials underway in Japan with 700 series,” Emery pointed out.
“This puts us in. unique position covering all bases to some extent, and I’m not sure I could name another brand available in Australia that can show that level of commitment to advancing lowering emissions on the truck fleet ,” said Emery
“It is important I think to acknowledge that it is Hino that has been pre-eminent
“Furthermore, interest is increasing in 2025 at the end of May, we were at 71 per cent of the total Hybrid deliveries in 2024,” said Mr Emery.
Hino claims that achieving significant fuel and CO2 reductions without compromising operational range or payload continues to be a key motivation for its customers who it says can choose from a range that includes models from car-licenced 4.5 tonne GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) up to light rigid-licenced 8 tonne GVM.
“Our recent fuel efficiency test around the iconic Mt Panorama circuit and surrounding streets of Bathurst replicated the conditions of a local delivery operation – almost 300 kilometres of testing showed fuel savings of up to 24 per cent in wide cab variants and 22 per cent in standard cab, which reinforces our customers’ expectations,” he continued.
Emery noted the ‘sweet spot’ that currently exists for purchasers of Hybrid trucks:
“The balance between cost, range, payload, maintenance and resale are all critical measures when determining which technology works for any application – increasingly, a Hybrid Electric hits that sweet spot while also reducing emissions,” he said.
Planning for the medium-term future, Hino Australia is currently undertaking customer trials with light-duty Dutro (300 Series) Z-EV (Zero Emission Vehicle) to determine their feasibility in the Australian market.
“This will ensure that when the time comes in Australia for full-scale electric vehicles, Hino will have a product that meets our customers’ needs and specifications,” concluded Emery.
