I was reading the English version of the Asahi Shimbun the other morning when this article caught my attention. There's nothing really new about hybrid buses, even GMC makes them, but how about a plug-in hybrid bus you don't have to plug in. That's something you don't see everyday. At least not yet anyway. Such a bus just began a two-week testing period at Haneda airport in Tokyo's Ota Ward and will travel between terminals, morning and afternoon, covering a route of 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles). According to the rather brief article the bus can charge "a large amount of electricity without using cords". I did some digging and with the help of the magic Google translator genie I found a few more details.

According to information gleaned from a "translated" web page from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the bus is part of a core collaboration by government, industry and academia to implement next-generation low-pollution vehicles. Equipped with lithium-ion batteries and with a projected CO₂ savings of 60 percent over a traditional bus, this Hino beast of burden definitely falls into that category.

Now, about that cordless charging. Apparently it is using an electromagnetic inductive charging setup. There is a coil on the bottom of the bus and also one embedded in concrete. The efficiency and speed of the charging system is not stated and I couldn't tell whether or not it employs magnetically coupled resonance. Once I master Japanese I will make some calls and inquire further.

[Source : Asahi]

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This week in Australia, Hino unveiled its very first hybrid truck to the masses at the Queensland truck and machinery Show. The Hino Hybrid uses a parallel setup that combines a 4.0-liter 110kW (150 hp) four-cylinder common-rail turbodiesel with a 23kW electric motor. According to Hino, the setup is good for a 20 percent reduction in fuel use compared to a conventionally-powered truck, a 25 percent cut in CO² emissions, and that NOx emissions can be slashed by up to 50 percent thanks to the engine's stop-start system.

The truck has already completed a 24-hour marathon drive through the streets of Brisbane while hauling 500kg of cargo. It achieved 21.5 mpg (10.9 liters/100km) during the trial, and was ultimately named Truck of the Show. The first customer for the Hino Hybrid is Australia Post, which has taken delivery of two of the trucks.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: Hino Australia]

A joint project to commercialise bio-hydrofined diesel (BHD), a second generation biodiesel fuel, has been announced by partners the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Nippon Oil Corporation (ENEOS), Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors, Ltd. The project was developed as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's 10 Year Project for Carbon Reduction in Tokyo designed to promote carbon reduction by private companies and citizens.

Toyota and ENEOS have been working together since 2005 on BHD technology which will now be field tested in city buses using a 10 percent BHD biodiesel blend as part of the new joint project with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. BHD is produced through a process of hydrogenating vegetable oil and animal fats, resulting in a diesel fuel substitute which is more resistant to oxidation than conventional biodiesel known as fatty acid methyl ester or FAME. The reduction in oxidation allows for BHD to be more readily utilised in higher diesel blend concentrations than FAME biodiesel.

Toyota and ENEOS aim to commercialise the second-generation biodiesel fuel that can be used in blends with diesel fuel above the 5 percent limit set by the Japanese Law on the Quality Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels. In addition to the BHD field testing, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has already committed to introducing a B5 biodiesel blend to its city buses, starting in 2007, to take the initiative in curbing drastically increasing CO2 emissions from the transportation sector.

Analysis: It seems like fuel technology is advancing almost as quickly as engine technology with this announcement of "second generation" biodiesel. It will be interesting to see if ENEOS can get the production costs down to a point where they are cost competitive with diesel and existing biodiesel blends. Great to see the Tokyo Metropolitan Government taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint of its mega-city.

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[Source: Toyota press release]

Forbes is covering an unconfirmed report published in the Nikkei that Hino Motors Ltd will release its diesel-electric Dutro Hybrid truck in Australia this month. A local Australian shipping company is also reported to have made the decision to replace its truck fleet with the Dutro Hybrid. The environmentally-friendly truck was released in the Japanese market in late 2003 and sold around 1,000 units last year.

The Dutro Hybrid has a load capacity of between two and four tonnes and is seen by Hino as the vehicle that can help them triple their overseas truck sales to 150,000 by 2015. Sales in Australia are estimated to be a modest 100 units in Australia in the first year with the roll-out to take place across the South East Asian region.

In October last year, Hino released a new model Dutro Hybrid equipped with a new hybrid system based on the advanced 4-cylinder inline diesel engine NO4C for higher output and enhanced efficiency through the combination of the clean diesel system DPR, new-model permanent magnet motor/generator, batteries and inverter, realizing both environmental performance and fuel efficiency.

Related:

• Volvo revving up its trucks with heavy-duty hybrid drivetrains
• Freightliner will show off new diesel hybrid technology next month

[Source: Forbes]

Toyota, Hino and Daihatsu will showcase their latest hybrids and fuel cell vehicles at the upcoming 22nd International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Symposium & Exposition (EVS-22). The event will take place Oct. 23-28 in Yokohama, Japan. Toyota will have the Lexus GS 450h hybrid and its fuel-cell bus along with the Fine-X fuel-cell hybrid (shown). The Fine-X features 4-wheel independent drive and a wild steering system for tight turns. Hino will have diesel hybrid trucks while Daihatsu shows off a hybrid minivan and the Copen EV concept 2-seater convertible with retro flavor styling. There's a picture of the Daihatsu Copen Concept after the jump.

[Source: hybridcar.com]