Isuzu Motors Limited, Toyota Motor Corporation, Hino Motors, Ltd., and Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT) have partnered to plan and develop light-duty fuel-cell (FC) electric trucks for the mass market.

The joint initiative aims to expand options available for customer use and increase demand for hydrogen fuel. The companies will also promote the market introduction of FC electric along with their widespread use.

On the road to carbon neutrality, various powertrains options meet customers' demands, including HEVs, BEVs, and FCEVs, depending on the energy conditions in different countries and regions and customer use, the companies’ announcement said.

“Light-duty trucks are often used for distribution in supermarkets and convenience stores that support people's daily lives,” said the statement. “In addition to being equipped with refrigeration and freezing functions, they are required to drive long distances over extended hours to perform multiple delivery operations in one day. They must also meet requirements such as fast refueling capability.”

FC technology, which runs on high energy density hydrogen with zero CO2 emissions while driving, is considered effective under such operating conditions.

CJPT will plan the jointly developed mass-market light-duty FC electric trucks. Combining their industry knowledge, the initiative will mobilize the truck technology of Isuzu and Hino and Toyota's FC technology to develop products meeting performance and conditions required for light-duty trucks.

The truck will be introduced to the market after January 2023 and used by the partners at actual distribution sites in Fukushima Prefecture and Tokyo social implementation projects.