Both Isuzu and Honda have taken major steps in their shared quest for hydrogen-powered heavy duty trucks
Major heavy vehicle brands Isuzu and Honda have announced a new partnership to test a new fuel cell heavy duty truck on Japan roads.
The Giga Fuel truck is currently being co-developed by the two companies, with demonstration testing now underway on public roads in Japan.
Through this demonstration testing, scheduled to run through September 2024, the two companies will continue making progress in collecting data, amassing knowledge and identifying technical issues in preparation for a 2027 market introduction.
The prototype model being used for this demonstration testing is the same type as the one exhibited at the Isuzu Group booth at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.
Both the logistics sides of Isuzu and Honda are conducting the testing as a way of verifying the potential of using hydrogen fuel and fuel cell trucks.
Both brands believe that fuel cell technology will be effective in achieving carbon neutrality for heavy duty trucks around the world.
Since the signing of the agreement in January 2020 to conduct joint research on fuel cell powered heavy duty trucks, the companies have been working on verifying the combability of the fuel cell system within the heavy duty trucks while establishing a foundation for basic technologies, such as vehicle control technologies.
The two companies intend to introduce the production model to market after fully leveraging the technology, experience and knowledge gained through the joint research.