Toyota and Hino to Create Electric Truck

A commission of 15 states and the District of Columbia recently entered into an agreement to develop regulations that require all new medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold in their states to be electric by 2050. With the burgeoning interest in heavy-duty electric trucks, Toyota Motor North America and Hino Trucks (a subsidiary of Toyota) are working to produce a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for the North American market. While you won’t find these vehicles for sale here at McGrath Elmhurst Toyota, you will see them on our roads and highways in the years to come.

The fuel cell truck initiative is part of Hino’s new Project Z program. Unveiled along with the fuel cell truck, Project Z is the company’s plan to develop zero-emissions battery-electric vehicles, from Class 4 to Class 8.

The new electric trucks will use Hino’s recently developed XL Series chassis in conjunction with Toyota’s demonstrated fuel cell technology, which provides extraordinary capability without producing harmful emissions associated with gasoline and diesel engines.

The partnership between Toyota and Hino builds on the two company’s current efforts to create a 25-ton FCET for the Japanese market. The electric truck prototype is scheduled for early 2021.

“A fuelcell powered version of the Hino XL Series is a win-win for both customers and the community,” said Tak Yokoo, senior executive engineer, Toyota Research and Development. “It will be quiet, smooth and powerful while emitting nothing but water. Toyota’s twenty plus years of fuel cell technology combined with Hino’s heavy-duty truck experience will create an innovative and capable product.”

Glenn Ellis, Hino’s Senior Vice President Customer Experience, explained that Toyota fuel cell technology would provide customers with a zero-emissions electric truck with an extended range.

Hino and Toyota are also working together on an 80-passenger fuel cell transit bus that will be utilized at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.