Mitsubishi Fuso's new Green Truck
Now we're getting somewhere. Mitsubishi Fuso will sell a diesel-electric hybrid light truck in Japan this fall. The company expects to sell several hundred of these trucks, called the Canter Eco Hybrid, before January. Mitsubishi Fuso, which is mostly owned by DaimlerChrysler AG of Germany, is a key component to the parent company's growth in Asia, according to this AP article in the Houston Chronicle. The Canter Eco Hybrid meets the strict emission standard that won't go into effect in Japan until August 2007 and Mistubishi Fuso claims the truck can be called the cleanest commercially available light duty truck in the world. Nitrogen oxide emissions are 41 percent lower and particulate matter emissions are 46 percent lower than conventional light trucks, Mistubishi Fuso said.
[Source: Houston Chronicle via Hybrid Cars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1985 Gripen 7:27PM (7/05/2006)
This is great to read. Long haul big rigs are a contributor to global warming and before now I hadn't heard a lot about addressing that issue.
There are hybrid passenger cars, SUVs, and even buses (as I witnessed first-hand in Denver a few weeks ago), but this is the first I've heard of a commercial truck going hybrid. The fact that it's a diesel hybrid is helpful too as the infrastructure is already there to support it.
Until we have an all-renewable energy EV fleet, this is a good start! I just hope Kenworth, Mack, and Peterbuilt catch on and come out with their own competition. Money saved on fuel is bigger profit margins for trucking companies!
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Howard Lee Harkness 9:39AM (7/06/2006)
Well, I still want a small, economical pickup truck! And right now, my only choices for such a vehicle in the US use a gasoline ICE, without exception.
BTW, in response to Mr. Gripen, the total operational expense of an EV is still comparable to buying an ICE vehicle with gasoline at about $8 to $10 a gallon. This is not going to encourage any trucking companies to go electric, or even hybrid, absent government coercion. OTOH, it should be possible to produce biodiesel at substantially less cost than dinofuel, and biodiesel doesn't require invention of several completely new technologies -- it can be used right now!
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Razib Ahmed 6:32AM (7/09/2006)
This is good. I hope government of Japan take measures so that Japanese companies produce more vehicles like these. This can benefit all of us and this deserves appreciation.
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