Hino Trucks has announced “Project Z,” outlining its plans to develop and release several zero-emissions vehicles over the next few years. The project includes both battery electric and fuel cell electric trucks.

“We’ll have some early prototypes in 2021, we’ll have customer demos in 2022, and we’ll be in full production before 2024,” said Glenn Ellis, senior vice president of customer experience with Hino Trucks.

“We’re developing the biggest breadth of zero-emission vehicles in the industry,” Ellis claimed. “We’re developing Class 4 through 8 zero-emission vehicles with several different partners right now.”

Those vehicles include a Class 5 SEA Electric SEA-Drive 120a on a Hino M5 chassis (pictured above); a battery electric Class 7 Hino tractor with Hexagon Purus’ full electric drive system (shown at the top of the page); and a Hino XL Series Class 8 box truck powered by Xos Trucks’ X-Pack battery and electric drive system (pictured below). All three vehicles were showcased in Hino’s Project Z launch announcement video, which can be viewed here.

Additionally, Hino announced that it will be working with its parent company, Toyota Motor North America, to jointly develop a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck for the North American market.

The companies say they will leverage the Hino XL Series chassis with Toyota’s fuel cell technology, expanding upon the existing effort to develop a 25-ton fuel cell electric truck for the Japanese market which was announced earlier this year.

Takehito Yokoo, senior executive engineer – advanced fuel cell at Toyota Motor North America, noted that Toyota has many years of experience in developing fuel cell-powered vehicles, adding that “we are very confident and comfortable to say that it is scalable up to Class 8.”

Yokoo said that Hino will build the first truck in the first half of 2021. READ MORE

By Alex Crissey, Oct 5, 2020 – Managing Editor of Fleet Equipment Magazine

Columbus, OH, September 16, 2020 – Two Men and a Truck Columbus is excited to announce it will deploy an all-electric Class 6 moving truck for its central Ohio operations – completely eliminating tailpipe emissions and significantly lowering operating costs.

This project is in partnership with Clean Fuels Ohio and supported by grant funding awarded by the US Dept. of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office to demonstrate the viability of med-heavy duty EVs in vocational fleet applications. By utilizing a battery electric Class 6 moving truck powered by SEA Electric’s SEA-Drive® all-electric power-system, Two Men and a Truck Columbus will continue to provide the highest level customer experience, while significantly improving the company’s operational and environmental performance.

“Two Men and a Truck Columbus is excited to deploy its new all-electric moving truck,” said Justin Clarey, co-owner of Two Men and Truck Columbus. “The EV moving truck will provide a quieter, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly experience for our staff and customers, helping Two Men and a Truck demonstrate advanced vehicle technology today as part of our dedication to our customers’ experience.”

Two Men and a Truck is the fastest-growing franchised moving company in the country and offers comprehensive home and business relocation and packing services in 44 states. Woman-owned since 1993, they have decades of experience in home, business, and interstate moving, averaging nearly 9,000 moves per year. Two Men and a Truck can relocate your home or business across the street or across the country with their two Columbus locations, 39 trucks, and more than 100 employees who are dedicated to exceeding customers’ expectations every day.”

Two Men and a Truck will utilize SEA Electric’s SEA-Drive® 120b Electric Power-Systems to convert an existing Class 6 Freightliner M2 truck to run as a dedicated battery electric vehicle. SEA Electric is a mobility technology company specializing in the electrification of commercial vans, trucks, and buses around the world. “SEA Electric offers a full line of electrification solutions adaptable to Class 2b vans all the way up to Class 8 refuse trucks,” said David Brosky, Regional Director, SEA Electric North America. “SEA Electric is excited to partner with Two Men and a Truck, W.W. Williams, Clean Fuels Ohio, and the US Dept. of Energy to bring our best-in-class SEA-Drive® Power-System to the Midwest US.”

SEA Electric will work with W.W. Williams to up-fit and convert the existing diesel Freightliner M2 truck to a full battery electric vehicle. W.W. Williams is one of the nation’s most diversified solutions providers, offering customers with mechanical service and repair, power generation, transport refrigeration, warehousing, and logistics. “W.W. Williams has a long history of working with our customers and partners to convert and maintain alternative fuel vehicles,” said Jason Milligan, Branch Manager for W.W. Williams Columbus. “We’re excited to partner with Two Men and a Truck, SEA Electric, and Clean Fuels Ohio and to add Electric Vehicle technologies and conversions to the range of solutions available for W.W. Williams customers.”

Through this diverse partnership, the project will utilize commercially available EVs, EVSE, equipment, and facilities, as well as leverage app-platforms to ensure seamless technology deployment and demonstration. “This proof of concept aligns with our continued mission to be a trusted provider of innovative solutions and expands our network of partners in this rapidly changing industry,” said John Simmons, Chairman & CEO, W.W. Williams. READ MORE

Blacktown City Council says it’s getting positive feedback from drivers after trialling an electric garbage truck for street cleaning and waste collection.

Blacktown is the latest council to explore replacing heavy waste services vehicles – which are major emissions contributors for councils – with more environmentally friendly options.

Blacktown’s Hino FE truck is fitted with an electric motor and battery from Australian automotive technology company SEA Electric, and has a 10 cubic metre rear loading waste compactor.

It creates 17 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions that a similar diesel truck would produce, Mayor Tony Bleasdale says.

Cr Bleasdale says use of an electric truck is in line with targets set by Council’s earlier this year, to achieve zero net emissions by 2030 for operational electricity, fuel and gas use.  

Council is also in the process of doubling its rooftop solar energy generation and has a target of 100 renewable electricity use for our operations by 2025.

“It makes the electric garbage truck a perfect fit for our strategy” Cr Bleasdale said.

“So far, our drivers have all been impressed with the quietness and ease of operation of the truck.”

The truck also means the streets are quieter and more peaceful for residents, Cr Bleasedale said.

He says councils plans to add more electric and alternate fuel vehicles to its fleet in the near future.

Early adopters

It comes after City of Sydney announced in March that it was trialling its first electric truck.

“We have been testing whether the quiet trucks would fit through our laneways and perform as efficiently as diesel vehicles – so that one day soon, our garbage truck fleet can also be emissions free,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said on Facebook.

Sutherland Shire Council also agreed last year to a range of initiatives to electrify its fleet, including the introduction of four Hyundaai Ioniq electric vehicles into its car pool fleet and trials of a fully electric garbage truck and electric compact sweeper.

The first fully electric rubbish trucks hit Australian streets last May in the City of Casey, and in January the City announced several new electric trucks had joined the fleet at WM Waste Management as part of a new waste contract. 

The trucks are powered solely by battery power and can operate five hours before needing to be recharged.

WM Managing Director Mark Jeffs said it was vital that essential services lead the way in going carbon neutral.

“Electric trucks are a key demonstration of our support for renewable energy as they significantly reduce our environmental footprint and improve the sustainability of residential hard waste collection,” he said in a statement.

Technological breakthrough

Each electric truckload of waste will save approximately 180 kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when operational as compared with an equivalent diesel truck, WM says.

WM says it hopes to move to more battery-powered vehicles in the future. READ MORE

Article by Government News, 20 August 2020