World Market Leader: Hybrid buses and trucks in North America and Japan

Orion is the world market leader for hybrid buses. More than 1,100 of the brand’s hybrid buses are already on the road in the U.S. and Canada, where they clock up some 50 million kilometers each year. One of these is the Orion VII HybriDrive, which consumes 20–25 percent less diesel than a conventional regular service bus. Freightliner delivery vehicles and trucks, like the brand’s Van Hybrid and the medium-duty M2 Hybrid truck, also boast impressive consumption figures.

Hybrid drives are gaining in importance in Japan as well: under the name Aero Star Eco Hybrid, Mitsubishi Fuso has already launched its second generation of efficient urban buses with series hybrid drives. Fuso also made a big splash in Japan with the Canter Eco Hybrid in 2006. Since then, around 200 of the models with 7.5 tons GVW have been successfully operating at various customers. At the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, Fuso also presented the Canter Eco-D hybrid concept truck (photo), which features an electrically operated tipper. Running the device on electricity leads to much lower noise levels and exhaust emissions, as the diesel engine is turned off during the tipping process.