Hybrid Development Hub for Daimler Trucks
“The establishment of the Global Hybrid Center shows the increasing focus of Daimler Trucks and Mitsubishi Fuso on developing hybrid commercial vehicles,” said Dr. Eike Böhm, Mitsubishi Fuso Vice President of Product Engineering. “We believe the market for hybrids will expand more rapidly in the future, given the need to further reduce vehicle emissions as well as fuel consumption. The new Center will concentrate our efforts in developing clean, efficient hybrid commercial vehicles to meet market needs now and in the future.”
According to Böhm, the role of the new Global Hybrid Center is to direct and synchronise Daimler Trucks hybrid development activities on a global basis. All of Daimler Trucks hybrid activities will be aligned under the Centre, including regional hybrid personnel at Daimler Trucks divisions Fuso, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Trucks North America. A total of 50 people will be affiliated with the Centre.
Fumio Akikawa has been named as Director of the Global Hybrid Centre. A 35-year automotive and truck industry expert, he will also continue in his current role as Director of Powertrain Development for Mitsubishi Fuso.
Kawasaki was chosen as the location for the Center because of the company’s history and expertise in hybrid vehicle innovation. Mitsubishi Fuso has been developing hybrid vehicles for over 10 years and today offers fuel efficient, low emissions products like the Canter Eco Hybrid light-duty truck and the Aero Star Eco Hybrid bus for the Japan market.
The company has also developed the Canter Eco-D, a concept hybrid light-duty dump truck. Fuso had been serving as the hybrid competence centre for Daimler Trucks. The founding of the Global Hybrid Center expands this role and creates a formal organisational structure for coordinating hybrid development on a global basis.
With the opening of the new Centre, Mitsubishi Fuso also announced it will double the number of its dedicated hybrid engineers to about 35 people.
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