Hino Trucks in Novi Unveils Zero-emission Class 8 Truck

Hino Trucks in Novi, a Toyota Group company that manufactures, sells, and services a lineup of Class 4 through 8 commercial trucks, today announced its first Class 8 Hino XL8 prototype powered by a hydrogen fuel cell electric drivetrain.
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HINO TRUCKS FIRST XL8 FUEL CELL ELECTRIC TRUCK PROTOTYPE
Hino Trucks announced its first prototype of the Class 8 XL8 hydrogen fuel cell truck (pictured) at the ACT Expo in Long Beach, Calif. // Courtesy of Hino Trucks

Hino Trucks in Novi, a Toyota Group company that manufactures, sells, and services a lineup of Class 4 through 8 commercial trucks, today announced its first Class 8 Hino XL8 prototype powered by a hydrogen fuel cell electric drivetrain.

The truck was jointly developed with Toyota Motor North America. For the prototype, two heavy duty Toyota fuel cells were utilized, while the drivetrain consists of a 12-volt battery system and a high-voltage battery, which works with the fuel cells to provide power to the truck. Behind the driver door on the cab are the hydrogen storage compartments.

“It’s amazing what our team has been able to accomplish in a relative short period of time. I know our customers are going to be extremely impressed with this fuel cell electric truck,” says Glenn Ellis, senior vice president of customer experience at Hino. “We are looking forward to validating the performance, reliability, and efficiency of our hydrogen fuel cell electric system in the XL Series chassis.”

According to the company, the combination of the hydrogen fuel cell power and the high-voltage battery work to provide power that matches a traditional diesel Class 8 vehicle. Everything on the interior — from the radio to the cab design — are identical to a traditional truck, though Hino’s XL8 provides a quiet cab experience and emits only water from its tailpipes.

“From our Project Z announcement last October, we have received significant interest from customers, and now we have something tangible to show them in our prototype FCEV” says Bob Petz, senior vice president of vehicle and parts sales at Hino.

Commercial customers who are interested in learning more about the Hino XL8 will get a chance to see it in person at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Long Beach, Calif. from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.