After just a few months of operating the first Class 4 Hino diesel hybrid in the U.S., the New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is reporting “very favorable feedback” to the manufacturer. “As part of its initiative to reduce operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions,” reported Glenn Ellis, vice president, marketing and dealer operations for Hino Motors Sales U.S.A. Inc., “DSNY elected to run a Hino diesel hybrid COE for parts delivery. Recently, we also met with NYC’s Department of Central Administrative Services, and have received the go ahead to present our hybrid to all city departments.”

The Hino diesel hybrid COE at DSNY has a GVW rating of 14,500 lbs. and is fitted with a 16-ft. van body. “The Hino hybrid has been running a dedicated route supplying our service centers and has been performing very well,” commented Rocco DiRico, deputy commissioner of support services for DSNY. “The fuel economy advantages and reduced CO2 output provided by the Hino hybrid truck support our environmental initiative. The New York City Department of Sanitation is promoting a healthy environment through both the efficient management of solid waste and the development of environmentally sound long-range plans for handling refuse.”

DSNY operates 59 district garages and manages a fleet of 2,040 rear-loading collection trucks and 450 mechanical brooms. Each day, the department collects approximately 11,900 tons of household and institutional waste. DSNY also clears snow and ice from approximately 6,000 city street miles, and removes debris from vacant lots, as well as abandoned vehicles.

In addition to the Class 4 hybrid that DSNY is operating, Hino currently has one other hybrid truck in the U.S. That vehicle is now traveling to many of the manufacturer’s 175 dealers across the country, where it is being introduced to local customers. Hino Trucks, a Toyota Group Company headquartered in Novi, Mich., assembles, sells and services Class 4-7 commercial trucks in the U.S.

“We are targeting markets that would benefit the most from a hybrid system,” Ellis related. “For example, there are many intercity stop-and-go type applications, as well as cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and others. Additionally, there are many more fleets that have green initiatives and have expressed interest in the Hino hybrid product line.”

In the next month or two, Hino expects to begin durability testing of two more of its Class 4 and 5 hybrid COE models in the U.S. An additional half dozen or so demonstration units will be in operation with targeted customers in early 2011, and production hybrid units will start to arrive in the U.S. in December 2011.

Having already produced over 9,800 hybrid vehicles worldwide, Hino is looking forward to its milestone 10,000th hybrid vehicle by the end of 2010. The manufacturer has been developing hybrid technology since the 1970s and built its first hybrid truck in 1993.

“We are excited to introduce our hybrid technology to the U.S. market,” Ellis said. “Hino’s hybrid technology is well-suited to meet the challenging needs of our changing market, and we look forward to demonstrating our capabilities.”