Beers, parcels and car parts are to be hauled emissions free in a Japanese road test programme for a new hydrogen fuelled heavy duty truck.
Toyota Motor Corporation is among a group of businesses that have agreed to launch on road trials of the FCEV trucks.
The tests, starting in spring 2022, will verify the feasibility of using fuel cells to reduce CO2 emissions in logistics and accelerate the commercial adoption of FCETs.
Heavy duty trucks currently account for approximately 70%^ of all commercial vehicle CO2 emissions in Japan.
The other organisations taking part are Asahi Group, Seino Transportation, Next Logistics Japan, Yamato Transport and Hino Motors. Toyota and Hino are jointly developing heavy duty FCETs; Asahi Group, NLJ, Seino Transportation, Yamato Transport and Toyota will perform the road trials as part of their logistics operations.
Asahi Group will load the trucks with beer and soft drinks produced at its Ibaraki Brewery and whisky, spirits, wine and other products from Asahi Breweries' Heiwajima delivery centre. The products will be unloaded at the NLJ Sagamihara Centre, with cargo from Kansai being retrieved and returned to the Ibaraki Brewery.
Seino Transportation cargo will be transported between the company's Tokyo, Sagamihara and Odawara branches.
Yamato Transport parcels and packages will be transported between the Chronogate and Gunma hubs.
Toyota parts will be transported between plants in Aichi and the Toyota Tobishima Logistics Centre.
