Toyota and its subsidiary Hino have agreed to jointly develop a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for the North American market.

Motivated by the rapidly expanding interest in heavy-duty electric trucks, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Hino USA will fit the newly developed Hino XL Series chassis with Toyota’s fuel cell technology “to deliver exceptional capability without harmful emissions.”

This collaboration expands upon the existing effort announced earlier this year to develop a 25-ton FCET for the Japanese market. Toyota and Hino expect the first demonstration vehicle for North America to arrive in the first half of 2021.

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Toyota and Hino’s Class 8 Fuel Cell Electric Truck will be based on the Hino XL Series

“A fuel cell powered version of the Hino XL Series is a win-win for both customers and the community. It will be quiet, smooth and powerful while emitting nothing but water,” said Tak Yokoo, Senior Executive Engineer, Toyota Research and Development. “Toyota’s twenty plus years of fuel cell technology combined with Hino’s heavy-duty truck experience will create an innovative and capable product.”

“Expanding upon our proud heritage of the Hino powertrain, Toyota Fuel Cell Technology offers our customers a commercially viable, extended range, zero emissions vehicle in the near term,” added Glenn Ellis, Hino’s Senior Vice President Customer Experience. “Hino shares a common focus with Toyota when it comes to durability, reliability, and innovation with the customer at the center of design which makes this collaboration a game changer.”

For the time being, the two companies did not release additional details about their Class 8 fuel cell electric truck for North America. It remains to be seen how similar the technology will be to their joint FCET for Japan.

Based on the Hino Profia conventional truck, the Japanese market model will use the same fuel cells as the all-new 2021 Toyota Mirai. The truck will also be equipped with an electric motor, a lithium-ion battery pack and a “large capacity” hydrogen storage tank, a setup that should give the truck a range of approximately 373 miles (600 km) per tank.

Toyota and Hino’s fuel cell electric truck announced for Japan will be based on the Hino Profia