Why buy Hino’s Hybrid?

First up, why would we need a hybrid diesel/electric truck for metro distribution work? The answers are fuel savings and emissions reduction. It’s simple maths that the less fuel you burn the more money you save and fewer emissions come out the exhaust pipe.

In Australia, where successive Federal Governments have failed to implement emissions reduction action in the electricity-generation sphere, the road transport sector is able do its bit.

Hino introduced its first hybrid truck Down Under back in 2004 and TNT took the first one for an evaluation. That led to subsequent orders in 2007 and the company, owned by FedEx since April 2021, has maintained a hybrid fleet ever since.

Since the early days of its hybrid models Hino has sold around 700 into mainly metro applications and has a history of fuel usage since that time. Hino said that typical fleet experience is a reduction in fuel consumption of around 20 per cent.

That’s what we spent a week checking out, as well as evaluating driveability.

Our Hino 300 Series Hybrid 616 Wide Cab test truck was a post-2020 variant that featured a series of changes to the hybrid system, aimed at improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.

“The Hino 300 Series Hybrid is Australia’s only light-duty hybrid electric-diesel truck and the first Japanese-manufactured, light-duty truck to meet Euro 6 exhaust emissions standards,” said Daniel Petrovski, manager of product strategy for Hino Australia.

“Euro 6 emissions standards are achieved by using a combination of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and Hino Diesel Particulate Active Reduction Filter (DPR) system, combined with the Hino Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system,” said Petrovski.

Hybrid models are available in four variants, starting with 616 Standard and Wide Cab car-licence models, followed by 5.5-tonne GVM 716 Wide Cab and 8.5-tonne GVM 916 Wide Cab. All models can tow a 3.5-tonne trailer.

The Hino Hybrid retains its parallel electric diesel design and continues to use the Toyota Group-sourced, nickel metal hydride battery, which has been used in over 15 million hybrid vehicles worldwide.

Hino’s N04C-WR, four-cylinder, common-rail-injected turbo-diesel engine produces 150hp (110kW) and 470Nm of torque, which is delivered in combination with the electric motor from a very low 1000rpm.

The Power Control Unit (PCU), which encompasses the battery, inverter, engine control unit (ECU) and DC-DC converter, has been redesigned for lighter weight and smaller packaging, resulting in a PCU weight of 85kg, down from 113kg.

In the interest of maximum driveline efficiency, the transmission is an automated manual (AMT), not a fluid-coupling, torque-converter automatic transmission. This revised automated transmission is now a six-speed, instead of the five-speed in the previous models and is coupled directly to the electric motor.

The shift tower had a ‘P’ position and a ‘+ -‘ gate that allows easy manual override of the AMT. The layout is familiar to anyone who’s driven an automatic car.

“The hybrid system continuously seeks to supplement diesel power delivery with electric power,” said Mr Petrovski. “It constantly switches between diesel-engine drive only, a combination of both electric-motor and diesel-engine drive, and can also use electric-drive only, in certain situations.”

The batteries are charged through kinetic energy capture, when the truck is running downhill or coasting to a stop. The recharging action also acts as an auxiliary brake to help slow the vehicle, but there’s also an exhaust brake on the diesel engine, for extra retardation.

“Charging the batteries from the regenerative braking system in the 300 Series Hybrid is key to its success,” said Mr Petrovski.

If you’re going to charge customers around ten grand more for a city truck than the standard diesel model, you need to have some very solid reasons for doing so. Hino’s approach is twofold: appeal to customers’ desires to reduce emissions and also their running costs.

Real-world experience with successive Hino Hybrids has shown a consistent reduction in fuel consumption, when compared with similar-duty conventional diesel Hinos. Carbon dioxide and other emissions are related directly to the amount of fuel burnt, so that means a corresponding reduction in emissions.

Because it’s part of the Toyota Group that’s the world’s highest-volume hybrid maker, Hino has access to the best electrification technology. That experience has shown the limits of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and in the case of battery-electric trucks, that operating limit is around 20km from base, given typical pick-up and delivery regimes.

Higher power-density batteries may change that situation, but at present, that’s about it, Hino claims, because the weight additional batteries 'steal' from payload. A look at the relative power density of a battery and a can of diesel says it all.

Beyond that 20km operational circle is where the Hino Hybrid is optimised, the company says. Out to around 50km from base, such as in an outer-metro zone, the Hybrid can deliver fuel and emissions savings, without ‘range anxiety’ – the fear of running out of battery power, as the diesel engine is easily refuelled.

Our test vehicle was a Wide Cab 616 model, fitted with a Hino aluminium tray body and loaded with bagged sand to 4.3 tonnes GVM. It had only 1300km on the clock, so it was tad ‘green’, but ran-in quickly during our 600-kilometre greater-metro test.

Like all current Hino 300 Series vehicles, the Hybrid featured Hino SmartSafe suite that included a Pre-Collision System (PCS) with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), pedestrian detection (PD) and lane departure warning system (LDWS), in addition to vehicle stability control, dual SRS airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, hill-holding brake function and UN ECE R-29 cab strength.

It also came with a reversing camera that displayed in a 6.5-inch, high definition multimedia unit.

From the control-operation point of view the Hybrid didn’t look any different from an auto- or AMT-fitted diesel truck. It also key-started the same way, with the shifter in ‘P’ or ’N’, but from then on, it felt quite different.

For a lift off, on a flat surface, the Hino Hybrid chose third gear; the engine revs tumbled as a result and the truck simply drove away, with very little accelerator pressure. Within a few metres it began to upshift – still with engine revs less than 1200rpm – and by 50 metres was in sixth gear.

Even on a gentle hill-start, around 10 degrees, the box still chose third gear.

The reason behind this extraordinary behaviour is clear when you check out the power and torque curves of the combined electric/diesel power plants: there are distinct ‘bumps’ in both curves, but particularly so in the torque curve and that’s due to electric motor input.

Because I’ve driven several hybrid SUVs and BEV trucks I was prepared for electric motor lift-off torque, but it was amazing to see such grunt from what is a small battery, lifting off 4.3 tonnes.

A very steep hill start required different technique, with full-accelerator depression. The box selected second gear and then held onto that gear. Doubtless, the programming has been set to ensure the truck manages the lift-off and subsequent climb as priorities.

I found that it held that gear unless provoked to upshift by my getting right off the gas pedal, or by selecting the manual ‘+ -‘ section of the gate. Manual gear selection was also necessary on steep downgrades, to maximise exhaust braking.

Electronic hill start assistance was provided, with adjustment for ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ brake release, but I found it wasn’t necessary for all but very steep lift-offs.

Engine stop-start is another part of the fuel-saving package, made practical by the electric motor’s ability to act as battery generator and a starter motor. Stop-start works almost seamlessly in the case of a petrol car engine, but diesels have more ‘kick’ when firing up and the restart vibration and torque reaction is quite noticeable in the Hino Hybrid.

Perhaps a change to the engine mounts is needed, to absorb more of the start-up vibration.

Another behavioural difference was the delay when starting off. Pressure on the accelerator did nothing for a second or two and then the truck moved off. Once under way the hybrid was smooth, rapid performer.

Driver training should be an important part of Hybrid induction into any fleet, because drivers could easily be ‘spooked’ by the truck’s operational quirks.

The test Hino Hybrid 616 was showing 14L/100km fuel consumption average when I collected it and that had dropped to 12.3L/100km by the time I took it back to Hino, some 600km of greater-Sydney-metro driving later. The truck was loaded to 4.3 tonnes GVM for the entire test.

I didn’t employ any economy-driving techniques: I simply drove it like I imagine any pick-up and delivery driver would, keeping up with traffic and accelerating away from traffic lights briskly.

Also, there was around 300km of divided road and freeway driving on this test route and I found that a Hybrid isn’t any more efficient than a conventional diesel powertrain in constant-speed conditions.

By way of comparison, I’d previously tested an auto tipper Hino 616, with the same diesel engine, but with a torque converter automatic transmission, for almost exactly the same overall economy, but that test involved 50-per cent empty and loaded operation.

Also, on that test, I’d driven for economy and modulated shift behaviour with the slush box, to keep the revs in the economical 1000-2000rpm band. The full-load sections of that test saw economy drop to 14L/100km.

Hino’s fleet data shows a consistent 20 per cent economy saving from its Hybrid model and that’s probably because the Hybrid’s AMT box always tries to operate with minimum revs, almost regardless of what the driver’s right foot is doing.

Another significant part of the Hybrid’s lower-emissions specification is its Euro 6 engine, so operators or fleets looking for state of the art emissions output may find that as appealing as the zero-emissions electric powertrain componentry.

Sales of only 700 Hybrids since their volume availability in 2009 suggests that the RRP penalty is perceived as excessive by most light truck buyers, but those that have adopted the Hybrid keep coming back for more.

Specifications:
Engine: Hino N04C-WR four-cylinder diesel turbocharged and intercooled
Max Power: 150hp (110kW)
Max torque (incl hybrid drive): 470Nm

Hybrid Drive:
Motor: AC synchronous motor
Rated voltage: 201V
Max output: 35kW at 1600rpm
Battery type: Nickel-metal hydrideBattery capacity: 6.5 Ah

Transmission
Make: Hino RE62 six-speed with single overdrive
Description: Automated manual transmission incorporating hybrid electric drive

Suspension:
Front: Leaf spring, hydraulic dampers, 2400kg
Rear: Leaf spring, hydraulic dampers, 4400kg

Weights:
GVM: 4495kg (upgradable to 5500kg)
GCM: GVM plus 3500kg
Wheelbase: 3.4m
Max body length: 4.8m

Safety:
Pre-collision system (incl Autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian detection), ABS, lane departure warning, traction control, stability control, reverse camera, driver and passenger airbags, ECE-R29 cab strength, seatbelt pre-tensioners (driver and LHS passenger).