Hexagon Purus has signed an agreement with Hino Motors Sales USA under which Hexagon Purus will produce battery-electric heavy-duty trucks for the US market, sold exclusively through dealers in the Hino network.
Hino Trucks has announced that it will offer an electric version of their M- and L- Series medium-duty trucks branded ‘Me’ Series and ‘Le’ Series available in 2024. Hino Trucks will begin production of these new vehicles integrating SEA Electric’s SEA-Drive power system.
Japanese courier service Yamato Transport and the Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT) have announced that they will work together to standardise replaceable and rechargeable battery cassettes for commercial electric vehicles.
Isuzu, Toyota, Hino, and the Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation have announced they would jointly plan and develop light-duty fuel cell electric trucks for the mass market. The vehicles are to be introduced from January 2023 and used by the partners at distribution sites in Fukushima and Tokyo.
Toyota’s commercial vehicle brand Hino Trucks has integrated fully electric axles by Allison Transmission into next-gen heavy-duty EVs. The Japanese manufacturer has completed testing and validation of Allison’s eGen PowerTM 100D fully electric axle in its XL series.
The Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Hino and Isuzu want to drive forward the electrification of buses as part of their joint venture concluded last year. The partners have announced the production of a battery-electric low-floor bus for 2024. A fuel cell offshoot is also to be developed.
SEA Electric, originally from Australia and now also with a base in Los Angeles, has booked the largest order in the company’s history in the US. GATR EV, a division of GATR Truck Centers, has ordered 1,150 electric trucks from SEA Electric.
US vehicle supplier Meritor has been selected by Hyliion to supply its 14Xe electric drivetrain for the ERX hypertruck. Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors is also interested in electric drive systems from Meritor.
The Israeli start-up Ree Automotive has entered into a development cooperation with Toyota’s commercial vehicle subsidiary Hino Motors. The aim is to develop a new solution for mobility services for the transport of passengers and goods based on Ree’s space-saving electric vehicle platform.
The Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Hino and Isuzu, want to establish a new joint venture on 1 April to promote CASE technologies (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) in the commercial vehicle sector.
Toyota continues to drive hydrogen commercial vehicle development in Japan and the US. At home, the company and its subsidiary Hino Motors have agreed with three major retail chains to test fuel cell light commercial vehicles. In California, Toyota went full-on in with near-production heavy-duty FC trucks.
Traton’s expansion into the North American market now finds itself on the home stretch: The Volkswagen commercial vehicle subsidiary has just signed a binding takeover agreement with the US commercial vehicle manufacturer Navistar. The transaction is expected to be completed in mid-2021.
Traton and Hino are intensifying their cooperation in the field of electromobility. As part of their strategic partnership, the commercial vehicle subsidiaries of Volkswagen and Toyota have signed a joint venture agreement to speed up development for products with battery and FC technology.
Toyota and eight other Japanese companies have announced the formation of the “Japan Hydrogen Association” (JH2A) to promote the formation of a hydrogen supply chain and global partnerships in the hydrogen sector.
BYD and Toyota’s commercial vehicle subsidiary Hino Motors have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the field of electric vehicles. The agreement initially provides for the joint development of BEV commercial vehicles and will later extend to other areas such as sales.
In an interview with German media, Traton boss Andreas Renschler spoke about the existing cooperation between the VW commercial vehicle division and Toyota subsidiary Hino. Joint work has begun in Germany and Japan.
The Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and its commercial vehicle subsidiary Hino Motors are developing a fuel cell truck based on the Hino Profia. The vehicle will use technology that Toyota developed for the next generation Mirai.
Traton, formerly Volkswagen Truck & Bus, and Hino have announced new details of their strategic partnership. They intend to pool their strengths when it comes to electric transport and are also planning to set up a joint venture for procurement.
Volkswagen Truck & Bus has signed a framework agreement for a strategic cooperation with Toyota’s utility subsidiary Hino Motors. Both companies aim to include hybrid and electric systems in their cooperation options.
Four additional manufacturers are about to get involved in the EV Common Architecture Spirit, a Japanese JV recently created by Toyota, Mazda and Denso to jointly develop electric vehicle technologies.
Fuel cell bus hits the street: Starting tomorrow, Toyota and Hino Motors will carry out field tests with their jointly developed fuel cell bus on public routes in Tokyo. The bus is equipped with the Toyota fuel cell system developed for the Mirai. The test will also evaluate the efficacy of its external power supply system during widespread power outages caused by natural disasters. greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com
Solar fuel for hydrogen cars? Researchers at the TU Eindhoven have developed a solar cell that not only produces power from sunlight, but can also split water into its hydrogen and oxygen components. The secret to this new solar cell are gallium phosphide nanowires. The hydrogen could be used as clean fuel for FCVs. sciencealert.com, tue.nl
Will Nissan pull the plug? According to Sportscar365, Nissan will review its LMP1 programme, following a dismal finish with the GT-R LM Nismo at the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans. A decision about what the future will hold could fall before the end of this week. sportscar365.com
New Infineon MOSFETs: Infineon has launched a new family of StrongIRFET MOSFETs for DC powered circuits including battery powered circuits, brushed and BDLC motor drives. The new MOSFET could be used for light EVs and e-bikes. electronicspecifier.com
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Most clicked link on Wednesday was the new twist in the story of French EV maker Mia Electric. automobile-propre.com (in French)
Mirai-based H2 bus: Toyota and Hino Motors have built a new version of their fuel cell bus equipped with the Toyota fuel cell system developed for the Mirai. It will be tested in Toyota City starting today. The new bus comes with eight hydrogen tanks, two fuel cell stacks and two electric motors. Its NiMH battery is able to supply electric power to buildings. electriccarsreport.com, greencarcongress.com
125 million dollars will be invested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to foster innovations in all areas of energy research and development, i.e. for fuel cells, electric drive systems, batteries, and power electronics. greencarcongress.com, arpa-e-foa.energy.gov
Commonwealth e-racer: Birmingham City University announced its plan to develop an electric race car for the Formula 1 together with three Indian universities. The agreement is to be signed today. business-standard.com
Supplier cooperation: Together, Johnson Controls and Toshiba have developed a new Li-Ion battery for start-stop applications to debut in a 2018 model production vehicle in Europe. The new battery will be showcased at the NAIAS in Detroit next week. autonews.com, jsonline.com, greencarcongress.com
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Most clicked link on Thursday was the report from Kevin Bullis revealing how Tesla manages to boost its Roadster’s range by 50 percent technologyreview.com
Update on investments: The California Energy Commission has published its “2014‐2015 Investment Plan Update for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.” 20 million dollars are reserved for H2 stations, another 15m for EV charging infrastructure and 5m for buying incentives. greencarcongress.com, energy.ca.gov (the plan)
Low carbon commercial fleet: Two of Hino Trucks’s diesel electric cab-over trucks have been selected for the New York Truck – Voucher Incentive Program (NYT-VIP). The programme offers 19 million dollars in incentives to lower the emissions of medium to heavy duty commercial fleets in New York. automotive-business-review.com
Slovakian quick charging network: GreenWay, known for its battery swapping in Bratislava (we reported), set up 15 CHAdeMO sites throughout Slovakia. The DC stations allow for west-to-east cross-country journeys and access will be given to GreenWay customers as part of their Easy Electric lease agreement. transportevolved.com
Carbon reduction for real-real: In 2011, Volvo, A-hus and Vattenfall concluded the ‘One Tonne Life’ project in which a family was able to reduce its carbon emissions by 80%. Now, another family, the Jogensjös, has moved into the efficient house to live the low-carb lifestyle. The electric Volvo C30 has been replaced by a Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid. onetonnelife.com (with video)
Hybrid refrigerator truck: Jointly developed by Hino Motors and Denso Corp., the ‘Hino Profia’ heavy duty truck uses energy from its hybrid system solely to power its refrigeration system. The power is generated while driving or regenerated from the hybrid unit. The refrigerator truck comes with a stand-by unit that can be plugged in to keep the fridge running when the motor is turned off. greencarcongress.com, densomediacenter.com
Fuel cell range extender: Ballard Power Systems will supply its FCvelocity-HD7 fuel cell module to Solaris Bus & Coach from Poland. The fuel cells will charge the batteries of Solaris’ electric buses to be deployed to Hamburg, Germany later this year. greencarcongress.com, ballard.com
Turbulences in the battery industry: Polypore’s subsidy Celgard filed a complaint against LG Chem, alleging a patent infringement of Celgard’s separators for high-energy li-ion batteries. At the same time, Celgard announced a long-term supply agreement with Samsung, which will use Celgard separators for the EV batteries. Samsung also recently invested in XG Sciences, a graphene manufacturer. greencarcongress.com (Celgard vs LG Chem), greencarcongress.com (Celgard & Samsung), greencarcongress.com (Samsung & XG Sciences)
Diesel-hybrid boat: Slovenian company Greenline Hybrid just presented its latest addition to its ‘Greenline’ series of hybrid yachts. Greenline 48 is the largest in the range. Its electric motor offers 20 nautic miles of range at four knots (4.6 mph). The 46 kWh battery can be supplemented with solar panels on deck. technologicvehicles.com