Truck manufacturer, Hino Motors USA, and electric vehicle system designer, Hexagon Purus, have come to an agreement whereby Hexagon Purus will manufacture battery-electric heavy-duty trucks exclusively for the US market through dealers within the Hino network.
The BEV trucks will utilize Hino's XL 4x2 chassis and be fitted with electric drive and battery systems from Hexagon Purus. The agreement specifies a maximum delivery of 10,000 electric trucks by 2030. This finalized deal expands on an earlier agreement between the companies to provide battery packs for several Hino truck models. Hino will be responsible for after-sales services, and the partners expect sales of these BEV trucks to commence in 2024.
“We are very proud and honored to take the cooperation with Hino to the next level by serially producing battery-electric heavy-duty trucks for distribution in the US through select qualifying dealers in Hino’s network. This is a strong validation of our technology and the capabilities as a provider of complete zero-emission mobility solutions. With this agreement, we continue to improve the line-of-sight for our 2025 revenue target of NOK 4-5 billion.”
Hexagon Purus has been in the industry for two decades now and has established itself as a player in designing emissions-free alternative fuel systems. While Hexagon Purus is mainly known for its fuel cell systems which utilize hydrogen in the production of electricity. The company does also have experience with designing and manufacturing battery electric vehicle systems.
Meanwhile, Hino, a large name in the truck industry with a global influence, has concentrated its efforts on the development of electric trucks, primarily targeting the market for light and medium-duty vehicles. Nevertheless, the company has recently announced a fuel cell truck project in partnership with its parent company, Toyota, towards the end of 2020.
The United States is getting the ball rolling in transitioning to alternative fuels in the truck sector, what these developments mean for trucks in Southeast Asia, we don’t know yet. Hopefully, as these technologies for alternative fuels develop and mature, we’ll start to see them on our roads in the future as well.
