Japan’s Transport Ministry is initiating a project in cooperation with major automakers to develop technologies and set performance standards for small and midsize electric trucks.
Since trucks and buses account for more than 7 per cent of the nation’s total carbon dioxide emissions, the switch to electric trucks will have a significant impact.
Moreover, the project could give Japan’s vehicle makers a global competitive edge in this still-untapped market. The Transport Ministry plans to pump more than 1 billion yen (US$12 million) in subsidies into the endeavor over four years.
A key objective will be developing a high-performance control system to efficiently use the stacks of batteries that will power the electric motor. By fiscal 2014 the ministry intends to set basic criteria for battery durability, including such factors as impacts and vibrations, and set manufacturing guidelines.
The ministry in April will call for participation among vehicle makers and hopes to begin verification testing in fiscal 2012. Companies said to have expressed interest include Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp., Isuzu Motors Ltd. , Hino Motors Ltd. and UD Trucks Corp., formerly known as Nissan Diesel Motor.
