Hino Motors has announced the release of Japan’s first mass-produced fuel cell heavy-duty truck, the Hino Profia Z FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle).

The Profia Z FCV has been jointly developed by Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino, based on Hino’s heavy-duty truck, the Hino Profia (known here as the 700 Series) and will be released to the Japanese market on 24 October.

The chassis is designed to maximise the operator’s load capacity while accommodating the component layout requirements of a fuel cell vehicle.

The powertrain consists of two fuel cell stacks from Toyota’s MIRAI fuel cell vehicle and has been customised for heavy-duty commercial vehicle use.

It also incorporates technology and driving control from Hino heavy-duty and electric vehicles.

The hydrogen refuelling takes between 15 and 30 minutes and the driving range for a loaded vehicle is approximately 65kg.

The Profia Z FCV will be launched following the successful final stage of trials which involved multiple vehicles embedded in customer operations.