The Profia Z FCV has been jointly developed by Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino, based on Hino's heavy-duty truck, the Hino Profia (known as the 700 Series in Australia) and will be released to the Japanese market on 24 October.

The chassis is designed to maximise the operator’s load capacity while accommodating the component layout requirements of a fuel cell vehicle.

The powertrain consists of two fuel cell stacks from Toyota's MIRAI fuel cell vehicle and has been customised for heavy-duty commercial vehicle use.

It also incorporates technology and driving control from Hino heavy-duty and electric vehicles.

The hydrogen refuelling takes between 15 and 30 minutes and the driving range for a loaded vehicle is approximately 650 kilometres.

The Profia Z FCV will be launched following the successful final stage of trials which involved multiple vehicles embedded in customer operations.  

“Globally, Hino is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality – in Japan, the entire domestic freight fleet accounts for 60% of CO2 emissions, and heavy-duty vehicles are a significant contributor to this,” said Richard Emery, Hino Australia President and CEO.

“As we move towards carbon neutrality, it is important to adopt a ‘multi-pathway’ approach to ensure we have the most suitable powertrains for the various applications,” said Mr Emery.

“Fuel cell vehicles, which generate electricity from hydrogen, are well-suited to heavy-duty trucks in long-distance transport operations, as they provide the necessary cruising range, payload capacity, and fast refuelling.

“This is an exciting global development for Hino - in Australia, Hino has led the way   with the light-duty 300 Series Hybrid Electric for over 18 years, and we are currently evaluating the suitability of multiple low and zero emission solutions, from the Hino Dutro Z EV (300 Series) battery electric vehicle which is undergoing Australian market operational evaluation to the heavy-duty Profia (700 Series) Hybrid.

“The Hino Profia Z FCV is yet another innovative Hino solution that Hino Australia will consider for the Australian market,” concluded Mr Emery.