Toyota and Hino to develop electric truck for North America

In the interest of powering heavy duty electric trucks, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Hino USA will jointly develop a Class 8 Fuel Cell Electric Truck (FCET) for the North American market.

The companies will leverage the newly developed Hino XL series chassis with Toyota's proven fuel cell technology to deliver a product with the ability to generate zero harmful emissions. 

This collaboration extends the existing effort to develop a 25-ton FCET for the Japanese market, which was announced earlier this year and the first demo vehicle is expected to arrive in the first half of 2021.

Tak Yokoo, senior executive engineer for Research and Development at Toyota, commented that the fuel cell- powered version of the Hino XL series is beneficial to both customers and the community, because it will be quiet, and powerful, so it will not emit nothing but water.

" Toyota's 20+ years of fuel cell technology , combined with Hino's heavy truck expertise will create an innovative and capable product," he said.

Also, Glenn Ellis, senior vice president of customer experience at Hino, explained that expanding its powertrain and with Toyota Fuel Cell Technology will offer a commercially viable vehicle, with extended range and zero emissions in the short term.

"Hino shares a common approach with Toyota when it comes to durability, reliability and innovation with the customer at the heart of the design, making this collaboration a game changer," he said.