At the NTEA work truck exhibition in 2021, Hino Trucks announced its intention to produce medium and heavy Hino trucks with Cummins engines, which will be sold in North America. As a result of this announcement, Hino stated that it will provide Cummins B6.7 and L9 engines for Hino’s L and XL series models by the end of 2021.
In fact, as early as February this year, KOBELCO announced that from May 1, 2021, KOBELCO Construction Machinery has suspended the production of hydraulic excavators at its American subsidiary KOBELCO Construction Machinery America’s American plant in South Carolina.
Kobelco SK210C excavator in operation.
The decision was made due to Hino’s delay in obtaining the certification of the new engine to enable its hydraulic excavators in the North American market to reach the 2021 EPA emission certification.
The production of hydraulic excavators (SK210HLC, SK230SRLC, SK270SRLC, SK380SRLC, SK500LC and SK850LC) and crawler cranes (CK850G, CK1100G, CK1200G, CK1600G and CK2750G) will have to be temporarily suspended as long as the certified engine inventory is used up. Kobelco said that it will further seek alternative power in the future. For the North American market, Kobelco is also likely to first consider using Cummins power to replace Hino engines.
Bob Petz, senior vice president of Hino Motors and Parts Sales, said: “We are pleased to provide Cummins’ mature B6.7 and L9 engines.” “The reliability, performance and durability provided by Cummins engines, coupled with award-winning Hino’s traditional cab will provide our customers with the ultimate ownership experience.”
Cummins B6.7 diesel will be available in the L series before the end of 2021, initially rated at 240 and 260 hp.
Hino Motors will begin production of Cummins-powered trucks at the West Virginia and Woodstock plants in October 2021, and will use engines manufactured by Cummins at the Rocky Mountain Engine Plant in North Carolina. The company plans to provide Cummins B6.7 engines in the L series before the end of 2021, initially with two rated powers of 240 and 260 hp. The B6.7 will be paired with Allison’s 2000 and 3000 series gearboxes.
Starting in 2022, the Cummins L9 engine will be provided in Hino’s XL series models, initially rated at 300, 330 and 360 hp. Hino said that the L9 can be used with Allison’s 3000 or 3500 series gearboxes or Eaton manuals.
Amy Boerger, vice president and general manager of Cummins North America Highway Department, said: “Cummins B6.7 and L9 have an unparalleled tradition in the mid-size field, with nearly 80 years of production history.” “We are confident that Hino customers who use our Cummins engines Will continue to enjoy lower operating costs through our combined products.”
Hino and Cummins stated that they will continue to evaluate other opportunities for cooperation in powertrain strategy in the future.
Hino also plans to accelerate its Z project by the end of 2022, the production of zero-emission vehicles, and the realization of small batch production of battery electric and fuel cell trucks.
As part of Hino’s announcement at the “Work Truck Exhibition”, Hino stated that it plans to transfer engineering and other resources to Project Z to accelerate the company’s development of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and accelerate its production schedule. The company previously announced plans to develop and produce a full range of Class 4-8 battery electric trucks and Class 8 fuel cell electric trucks by 2024, powered by Toyota’s fuel cell system. In the fourth quarter of 2022, it will reach full capacity by the end of 2023.
Glenn Ellis, senior vice president of customer experience at Hino Motors, said: “Our industry is in the midst of a generational transition from traditional cars to zero-emission vehicles.” “This new partnership is what we see in other original equipment manufacturers. In line with the latest changes, other OEMs are seeking strong industry partners to help offset their growing R&D investment in new zero-emission vehicles.”
