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Japanese Truck, Bus Makers Go Clean with Hybrid Models March 2005Under pressure to do their part to curb greenhouse gas emissions, makers of commercial vehicles are rolling out a succession of environment-friendly hybrid models.Many of the vehicles feature electric motors and diesel engines, which are more fuel-efficient than comparable gasoline engines used in hybrid passenger cars. The truck makers expect demand for the low-emission hybrids to increase now that Japan is legally obliged to clear CO2 emission targets laid out in the Kyoto Protocol, which went into effect in February. That said, the hybrids currently have two strikes against them: high prices and unstable performance, both of which will need to be resolved before many businesses will consider making the switch. Isuzu Motors Ltd., the nation's top seller of trucks and buses in 2004 excluding 660cc minivehicles, plans to market its first lightweight hybrid truck this spring. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp., the No. 2 player in 2004, plans to release a similar vehicle by year-end. The assistance of electric motors during acceleration will considerably enhance fuel efficiency in both vehicles. As for hybrid buses, Hino Motors Ltd. released a remodeled version of its Blue Ribbon City in January. The battery unit is mounted on top of the vehicle instead of underneath it, enabling the floor to be lower for easier passenger access. A large hybrid bus introduced by Mitsubishi Fuso in February 2004 relies on its diesel engine solely to generate electricity and uses only electric motors to propel the wheels, significantly reducing engine noise. Domestic sales volume of hybrid trucks and buses surged 14-fold in 2004 from a year earlier. The sharp increase was largely due to brisk sales of Hino's Dutro Hybrid light truck, released in November 2003. Hino developed the truck's hybrid system jointly with parent Toyota Motor Corp. The truck boasts a 30-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and cuts CO2 emissions by 25 percent compared with conventional models. The hybrid accounted for nearly 7 percent of Hino's light truck sales in 2004, selling 1,039 units at a price more than 1.3 million yen higher than conventional models. But there is a shared view in the automotive industry that hybrid trucks and buses will not sell as well as hybrid passenger vehicles. That's because cost-conscious businesses attach greater importance to vehicle performance than to green image and novel designs, two factors currently fueling the popularity of Toyota's Prius hybrid passenger cars. Many businesses balk at paying over 1 million yen more for a hybrid technology that does not guarantee superior fuel efficiency in all driving conditions. Mainstay hybrid systems that use electric motors to assist acceleration, for example, are not effective in reducing fuel consumption over long distances with few stops. SOURCE: Asahi.com | ||
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