Under the terms of the agreement, the Californian-based IMPCO will develop and certify the fuel system - and fuel storage and delivery system - that will be used in Hino's HINO J08C engine, which is powered by natural gas.
Once this initial development process is done, the two companies will integrate the CNG systems into a bus chassis, which will then be rigorously tested to see the durability and feasibility of the systems.
Hino hopes to start production of the low emissions natural gas buses sometime next year and hopes to provide the SE Asia market with a low emissions, low cost alternative to existing diesel powered buses. All the HINO J08C models will comply with the stringent Euro II emission standards.
IMPCO and Hino are also planning to develop a higher-powered turbocharged version of the engine for use in larger capacity bus applications. These engines, though, will not be developed until after the HINO J08C-powered buses hit the market.
