Australia’s only Hybrid Electric truck is made by Hino.
The OEM’s ongoing transition to manufacture low and zero emissions vehicles for Australia has been spurred on by the momentum of last year’s Hybrid Electric delivery sales record according to newly appointed President and CEO of Hino Australia, Richard Emery.
“Since I started with Hino two years ago, our focus has been firmly on relaunching and rebranding the 300 Series Hybrid Electric, which has been delivering savings to Hino customers for over 15 years,” he says.
“We are confident that 2024 will be another record year as we see interest from customers growing in increasingly varied applications.”
The Hybrid Electric continues to be a popular choice for customers in the freight, logistics and delivery sectors, and is increasing in popularity with customers in the urban delivery, traffic management and trade markets with the Built-to-Go products.
Last year, national rental company Sixt added Hybrid Electrics to its fleet.
“We are currently purpose-building two Hybrid Electric tilt tray trucks, which will be Official Recovery Vehicles at selected rounds of Repco Supercars Championship as part of our sponsorship,” says Emery.
The tilt trays, for that matter, aren’t limited to the racetrack with loyal Hino customer Nationwide Towing adding a number of Hybrid Electric tilt trays to its fleet over the last year.
Nor is Hino resting on its laurels with more alternate fuel options expected to be available for its customers in the coming years.
“Looking to the future, we are working with Hino Motors Ltd to determine the feasibility of adding a tipper to our Hybrid Electric Built-to-Go range, which currently includes the Alloy Tray and TradeAce variants,” explains Emery.
“Feedback from our landscaping customers is that a Hybrid Electric Tipper would be well-suited to the urban stop-start nature of their role.”
Beyond that, Hino is also investigating the possibility of trialling a 700 Series Hybrid Electric in Australia in the next 12-18 months.
“All Hino 300 Series Hybrid Electric models meet Euro 6 exhaust emissions standards, and a Prime Mover real-world trial comparing it against a traditional diesel equivalent revealed a 28 per cent reduction in fuel use and CO₂ emissions,” says Emery.
“The level of savings are dependent on the application of the vehicle and how it is driven.”
Hybrid Electric customers also benefit from a reduction in maintenance costs as the electric motor replaces the diesel engine’s starter motor and alternator, and the regenerative braking reduces the use of service brakes and increases the life of the brakes, all while charging the hybrid batteries.
“This can reduce yearly maintenance costs by up to 16 per cent,” says Emery.
The Hino 300 Series Hybrid Electric is at Hino dealerships nationwide, with more information including a savings calculator available here.
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