Hino USA announced that it has been awarded a grant provided by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a Japanese governmental agency, to promote new technology for energy and environmental sector, along with Hino Motors, Ltd. The grant supports the demonstration of Hino’s Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks in real world operations in California ports. This joint study will run through March 2026 and is a collaboration project with Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Toyota Tsusho America Inc., Mitsui E&S Machinery Co. Ltd. and PACECO CORP, along with Hino.

The NEDO grant is in support of improving air quality through zero-emission truck technology, which is expected to be a beneficial approach for specifically targeting port operations and environmentally burdened disadvantages communities that California’s initiative concerns. It provides funding to encourage and support the introduction of new, zero-emission technologies. Hino, Toyota-Tsusho and Mitsui’s technology of choice for this project is advanced hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks.

The team plans to demonstrate zero-emission operation generated by hydrogen power units in daily drayage operations, in and around the ports. Hino will provide several of its prototype Class 8 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV), recently revealed at the ACT Expo this past August as part of a joint development effort with Toyota. Also included in the grant program, will be monitoring and analysis of the operational and maintenance interval data to optimize the efficiency and safety of the vehicles by Hino and its partners.

Hino sees this project as a viable contributor to its “Challenge 2025” strategy, which aims to lower Hino’s global emissions footprint through reduced GHG emission.