Next Stop: Fuso Aero Star Eco Hybrid
Interview with Eike Böhm, Vice President of Product Engineering
for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
How do you assess the future prospects of hybrid buses like the Aero Star Eco Hybrid?
The first markets for such buses are already forming in highly developed cities like Tokyo and New York – but I wouldn’t rule out any region in the world as a potential market.
Will more stringent emission limits help hybrid technology achieve a break-through in the commercial vehicle sector?
“The challenge to reduce CO2 emissions already exists. Technologies for reducing consumption, such as hybrid drive, are now gaining significance; and customer demand is changing to the same extent. We want to have mature hybrid solutions ready for application.” | ||||||||
Mitsubishi Fuso has sold about 300 hybrid vehicles so far, mainly light-duty trucks but also city buses. That may not sound like much, but the hybrid market has developed slowly so far. However, if oil prices continue to rise as they have over the last few years, we might see the hybrid market expand more rapidly.
Hybrid vehicles have a very positive image in terms of ecology. Does that help sell hybrid commercial vehicles?
Indeed, there are some companies who perceive public image benefits from hybrids, particularly those whose vehicles are in close proximity to the public, like bus or delivery companies. But overall, we don’t believe the current hype surrounding hybrids can serve as a basis for long-term sales success. Sustainable business for commercial vehicles is dependent on their economic utility for customers. In some countries, however, stipulations regarding emission limits play a role as well.
Why did Daimler Trucks decide to establish its global hybrid drive development center within the Mitsubishi Fuso organization?
Mitsubishi Fuso has very competent engineers in this field because the company has been working on hybrid systems for a very long time. Fuso once even built a hybrid bus that recovered its braking energy with a hydraulic system. There are also a lot of competent suppliers here.
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