Hino claims the release of its Profia Z hydrogen fuel cell truck will become Japan’s first mass-produced heavy duty fuel cell truck when it is released later this month
The Hino Profia Z FCV is said to have has been jointly developed by Toyota and Hino, based on the heavy duty Profia, will be released to the Japanese market on 24 October. No clear indication has been given about when a hydrogen Hino might be available in Australia but our bet would be toward the end of this decade.
The chassis is designed to maximise the operator’s load capacity while accommodating the component layout requirements of a fuel cell vehicle.
The company says the powertrain consists of two fuel cell stacks sourced from Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell vehicle, which have been customised for heavy-duty commercial vehicle use.
The company claims that it also incorporates technology and driving control from its other heavy-duty and electric trucks.
Hino claims that hydrogen refuelling will take between 15 and 30 minutes and that the driving range for a loaded truck will be approximately 650 kilometres.
The launch of the The Profia Z FCV will follow the successful final stage of trials which involved multiple vehicles embedded in customer operations according to the company.
Hino Australia president and CEO. Richard Emery said that globally the company is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality.
“In Japan, the entire domestic freight fleet accounts for 60 per cent of CO2 emissions, and heavy-duty vehicles are a significant contributor to this,” said Emery,
“As we move towards carbon neutrality, it is important to adopt a ‘multi-pathway’ approach to ensure we have the most suitable powertrains for the various applications,” Emery said.
“Fuel cell vehicles, which generate electricity from hydrogen, are well-suited to heavy-duty trucks in long-distance transport operations, as they provide the necessary cruising range, payload capacity, and fast refuelling.
“This is an exciting global development for Hino , and in Australia, Hino has led the way with the light-duty 300 Series hybrid trucks for more than 18 years, and we are currently evaluating the suitability of multiple low and zero emission solutions, from the Hino Dutro Z EV battery electric truck which is undergoing Australian market operational evaluation to the heavy-duty Profia or 700 Series hybrid,” he said
“The Hino Profia Z FCV is yet another innovative Hino solution that Hino Australia will consider for the Australian market,” concluded Emery.
