Click for more hydrogen.
Isuzu Motors and Honda Motor are now testing the so-called Giga Fuel Cell truck on public roads in Japan. The hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck is being co-developed by the two companies. The prototype model being used for this demonstration is the same type as the one exhibited earlier this month at the Isuzu Group booth at the Japan Mobility Show 2023. Toyota Motor is arguably the furthest along in using the emerging technology in large trucks and other diesel applications.*
The demonstration testing, scheduled to run through September 2024, will collect data and detect technical issues in preparation for a 2027 market introduction of production trucks, the companies said.
Isuzu and Honda believe that FC technology, using hydrogen as fuel with no CO2 emissions, will be effective to achieve carbon neutrality of heavy-duty trucks which are required to achieve high-efficiency transportation with their capability for long-distance driving, large load capacity, and quick refueling.
After the signing of an agreement in January 2020 to conduct joint research on FC-powered heavy-duty trucks, the two companies have been working on the verification of the compatibility of the FC system and heavy-duty trucks and the establishment of a foundation for basic technologies such as vehicle control technologies. The two companies are planning to introduce the production model to market in 2027 by fully leveraging the technology, experience and knowledge gained through joint research.
From December 2023 through September 2024 the truck will be tested in the Kanto area (Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures) by Isuzu Logistics and Honda Logistics.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Isuzu and Honda Public Road Testing Fuel Cell HD Truck
Click for more hydrogen.
Isuzu Motors and Honda Motor are now testing the so-called Giga Fuel Cell truck on public roads in Japan. The hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck is being co-developed by the two companies. The prototype model being used for this demonstration is the same type as the one exhibited earlier this month at the Isuzu Group booth at the Japan Mobility Show 2023. Toyota Motor is arguably the furthest along in using the emerging technology in large trucks and other diesel applications.*
The demonstration testing, scheduled to run through September 2024, will collect data and detect technical issues in preparation for a 2027 market introduction of production trucks, the companies said.
Isuzu and Honda believe that FC technology, using hydrogen as fuel with no CO2 emissions, will be effective to achieve carbon neutrality of heavy-duty trucks which are required to achieve high-efficiency transportation with their capability for long-distance driving, large load capacity, and quick refueling.
After the signing of an agreement in January 2020 to conduct joint research on FC-powered heavy-duty trucks, the two companies have been working on the verification of the compatibility of the FC system and heavy-duty trucks and the establishment of a foundation for basic technologies such as vehicle control technologies. The two companies are planning to introduce the production model to market in 2027 by fully leveraging the technology, experience and knowledge gained through joint research.
From December 2023 through September 2024 the truck will be tested in the Kanto area (Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures) by Isuzu Logistics and Honda Logistics.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.