Isuzu and Toyota join forces to develop first all-Japanese light duty hydrogen truck

Japanese companies Isuzu and Toyota have agreed to collaborate on the development toward the mass production of a next-generation light-duty fuel cell electric truck. The target is to reach the market by the year 2027. The vehicle will be based on Isuzu’s “ELF EV” BEV light-duty truck, combined with Toyota’s new fuel cell system (we are talking about the third generation Toyota fuel cell system).

As underlined by the partners, light-duty trucks are often used for deliveries to supermarkets, convenience stores, and other services that support everyday life. In many cases, these vehicles are equipped with refrigeration or frozen storage capabilities and make multiple deliveries per day, requiring long operating hours and being driven long distances. Under such operating conditions, quick energy replenishment is essential to maintaining operational efficiency.

Toyota and Isuzu on the next light duty hydrogen truck

Indeed, these vehicles use hydrogen as a high-energy-density fuel. Moreover, compared to BEVs, which face the challenge of long charging times, FCEVs can significantly reduce refueling time. In addition, by leveraging the technologies, expertise, and insights gained through the joint development of the next-generation fuel cell route bus “ERGA FCV”, as well as the results of the FC light-duty truck social implementation project conducted by Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation, the two companies “will advance the sophistication of control technologies and system improvements to enhance fuel cell durability, achieving the high levels of reliability and practicality required of commercial vehicles”.

It’s not clear whether the next fuel celle light truck will be available only in Japan, or rather commercialized on a global scale.