Fleetowner 2456 Hinoridedrive
Fleetowner 2456 Hinoridedrive
Fleetowner 2456 Hinoridedrive
Fleetowner 2456 Hinoridedrive
Fleetowner 2456 Hinoridedrive

Hino shows off ’07 solution

Oct. 27, 2006
PHILADELPHIA. During a media ride-and-drive event here yesterday, Hino Motors USA said its new 2008-model trucks equipped with EPA’07-compliant engines and aftertreatment system are on a multi-city tour to demonstrate that cutting oxides of nitrogen (NOx) tailpipe emissions by 50% and particulate matter (PM) pollution by 90% doesn’t impact vehicle performance or longevity

PHILADELPHIA. During a media ride-and-drive event here yesterday, Hino Motors USA said its new 2008-model trucks equipped with EPA’07-compliant engines and aftertreatment system are on a multi-city tour to demonstrate that cutting oxides of nitrogen (NOx) tailpipe emissions by 50% and particulate matter (PM) pollution by 90% doesn’t impact vehicle performance or longevity.

“While the emission control components we are going to have on our ’08 trucks are new to the U.S., they are not new to Hino,” explained George Daniels, Hino’s senior national manager for service operations, at the Philly event. “We’ve been using this technology in Japan since 2005. There 30,000 medium-duty trucks on the road have compiled 400-million miles of operation since then.”

Daniels said several modifications have been made to Hino’s 5- and 8-liter engines. There is more exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) so a larger EGR cooler is mounted to the engine and new ferrum cast ductile (FCD) engines pistons replace Hino’s aluminum- and graphite-coated ones to provide longer life.

Diesel injection pressures are now a constant 26,000 lbs vs. the previous 22,000 lbs. Four separate injection points are used to fuel the engine and provide fuel for diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration without the neeed to run a second fuel line to the aftertreatment system, he pointed out.

Daniels also noted that the engine’s variable nozzle turbo (VNT) has a new 16-bit electronic processor to offer better control to minimize fuel economy losses.

All of Hino’s ’08 models come standard with an air tank – even if the truck uses hydraulic brakes. That’s because all trucks will be equipped with a new air-controlled butterfly valve engine brake to help manage exhaust backpressure and engine heat while offering a way to slow the vehicle without using the brakes, said Daniels.

On the aftertreatment side, Hino’s diesel particulate reduction (DPR) system includes a DPF to capture PM emissions and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) to boost the DPF regeneration process all in one unit. This unit is only eight inches longer than the muffler it replaces. But Daniels warned fleets that no wood, rubber, or plastic resins can be within 4 inches of the DPF. In addition, fuel lines must be kept a minimum of 8 inches away – due to the heat produced during regeneration.

A digital readout on the dashboard alerts the driver to DPF regeneration activity, said Daniels. He noted that most of the time the vehicle can automatically take care of regeneration. About 1% of the time, a driver must conduct manual regeneration – a process that takes 15 to 20 minutes. A driver gets a 100-mile warning “window” to pull over if manual regeneration is necessary. If he doesn’t conduct regeneration within that window, the engine goes into “limp mode” and can only be reset by the dealer.

“Fuel economy impact is negligible – largely since Hino’s been able to balance out losses with efficiency gains in other parts of the system,” said Jimi Begin, a marketing specialist with marketing firm Utechniques, hired by Hino to conduct the demo tour. “In terms of longevity and durability, there’s been no impact whatsoever.”

What’s all of this going to cost up front? According to Nick Vermet, Hino's vp-sales and marketing, says the '08 up-charge to cover the added expense of '07 engine and aftertreatment changes will be $3,950. In terms of maintenance, he said Hino’s testing has shown that on average, DPFs need to be removed and cleaned at 200,000 miles. A cleaning device using compressed air being build by SPX for Hino will cost $12,000, so he expects most customers and deals will opt to use a DPF exchange program the company is setting up.

For more information, go to www.hino.com.

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr | Editor in Chief

Sean reports and comments on trends affecting the many different strata of the trucking industry -- light and medium duty fleets up through over-the-road truckload, less-than-truckload, and private fleet operations Also be sure to visit Sean's blog Trucks at Work where he offers analysis on a variety of different topics inside the trucking industry.

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