A partnership between two vehicle giants in Isuzu and Honda has been announced, with a hydrogen heavy duty truck set to be the result in exciting news for the transport industry
A major announcement of a partnership between Honda and Isuzu has broken recently, providing an exciting zero-emissions model that could be sold globally very soon.
Hydrogen powered Isuzu heavy duty trucks powered by a Honda hydrogen fuel cell system could be available for sale in 2027.
At least that’s the plan Isuzu is aiming towards after announcing its partnership agreement with Honda today in Japan, at the same time a truck the companies developed together received Japanese number plates and the ok to use public roads.
Isuzu and Honda believe that fuel cell technology, utilising hydrogen as fuel and resulting in no CO2 emissions, will be effective to achieve carbon neutrality of the heavy-duty trucks required to address large load capacity, long-time use, long-distance driving and the need for quick refuelling.
Since the signing of an agreement in January 2020, to conduct joint research on heavy-duty trucks utilizing fuel cells (FC) as the powertrain, the two companies have been working toward the establishment of a foundation for basic technologies such as ensuring the compatibility of fuel cells and heavy-duty trucks and the development of vehicle control technologies.
The two companies are currently planning to start demonstration testing of a prototype truck on public roads before the end of the current fiscal year (ending March 31, 2024).
By fully leveraging experience and knowledge gained through the joint research, the two companies will continue making progress in the development of products that fulfill the performance and conditions required for heavy-duty trucks and satisfy customers.
Moving forward, the two companies will take advantage of the respective strengths of each company and accelerate the development of clean, low-noise, low-vibration fuel cell- powered heavy-duty trucks.
This will contribute to the shift toward the use of clean energy by the entire industry, including logistics businesses, with more proactive use of hydrogen energy, through which both companies will strive to achieve the shared goal – which is the realization of a carbon neutral society.