It's Not Easy Being Green...Or Is It?

Daniel Petrovski, Product Strategy Manager at Hino Australia, explains why hybrid technology is a smart choice that makes perfect sense for today’s transport businesses.

Hybrid technology is no longer a thing of the future; if you take a good look around you’ll see that hybrid cars no longer look like spaceships and they are more common than you might have thought. Hino was the first manufacturer to introduce a Hybrid truck to Australia in 2007, and it has been nearly 15 years since Toyota brought the first hybrid passenger car, Prius, to Australia and have been developing hybrid technology since the 1960s. With lower running costs and comparable, and sometimes superior, performance compared to a conventional diesel-powered truck, a hybrid truck is the smart choice for the business of today. So what’s in it for you if you go green?

The first advantage of hybrid trucks is the fuel efficiency. Independent test results show that operating a Hino Hybrid truck delivers substantial fuel savings in metropolitan applications. This means it takes only two to three years to recoup the premium invested in a Hino Hybrid over a conventional diesel variant. With a fleet of hybrid trucks the cost saving is multiplied, cutting overheads in the long term and maximising profits for your company.

Traffic is no longer a fuel killer. With stop-start technology and the hybrid electric motor assisting vehicle take off (and at times doing 100 per cent of the work at take-off), the amount of fuel consumed in regular city driving is reduced. Additionally, features like idle stop prevent the engine from idling in traffic and unnecessarily burning through fuel.

You even save money while you’re stopping! Next time you’re out on the road, count how many times you use the brake pedal. The regenerative braking system in Hino Hybrid trucks is actually what charges the hybrid battery. Every time you take your foot off the accelerator pedal in a Hino Hybrid truck, the electric motor instantly switches to generator mode. The electric motor/generator then acts as an auxiliary brake to slow the vehicle, capturing kinetic energy and converting it into electricity which it then funnels back into the battery to be used on the next take off.

Cutting costs of maintenance. Without the need for a starter motor or alternator, the number of moving parts in the engine bay are reduced, meaning there are fewer parts prone to wear. Contrary to popular belief, there is no added difficulty involved in servicing a hybrid vehicle. The service interval of a hybrid variant is identical to that of conventional diesel engine models.

No sacrifices in performance. The Hino 300 Series Hino Hybrid model’s power and class-leading torque outputs are identical to those of the conventional Hino 300 Series diesel models, and the Hino Hybrid offers more power and torque than our competitors’ conventional diesel models while also providing better driving performance and fuel efficiency.

The choice is yours, but the argument to go green is a compelling one. Environmental benefits were the original driving force behind the inception of hybrid vehicles. As fossil fuels become more scarce, expensive and are increasingly proven to be detrimental to the environment through emission of pollutants, operating a Hino Hybrid truck helps cut your operating costs while taking a positive step towards providing a more sustainable future. No longer a misunderstood alternative, hybrid technology is here to stay.