As Hino Australia celebrates 10 years since introducing the 300 Series Hybrid, the City of Darwin has renewed its trust in hybrid technology by training operations staff at its Winnellie headquarters.
Council workers were taken through a diagnostics and product familiarisation course focused on the Hino Hybrid battery unit that was conducted by Hino Australia’s Fleet Training Manager Sergio Bonvini.
City of Darwin’s Fleet Manager Peter Newcombe said Hybrid trucks are becoming commonplace in its fleet. “It’s getting harder to compare the Hybrid versus diesel performance in our fleet because we’re running out of diesel trucks to compare them to,” he said.
City of Darwin is no stranger to Hybrid technology: it was the first council in Australia to introduce Hino Hybrid trucks to its fleet in 2007.
Mr Newcombe says a reduced carbon footprint and improved cost of ownership has been influential in the Hino Hybrid purchasing decision. “We’ve seen a 15.84 per cent economy advantage [over diesels] in our urban applications, helping us improve our bottom line and reduce costs over the life of the Hino Hybrid.
“Hybrid technology also reduces our carbon output significantly, which is an advantage you can’t put a price on,” Mr Newcombe said. “We also have Toyota Camry Hybrids in our passenger car fleet so we’re big advocates of the benefits Hybrid technology has to offer.”
The City of Darwin currently operates 13 Hino 300 Series Hybrids and will add seven more to replace existing diesel variants in the next year. The Hino 300 Series Hybrid trucks are used for landscape maintenance and waste management duties.
City of Darwin also participates in Hybrid driver training held by local dealership Vanderfield Hino to further maximise economical operation of the Hino Hybrid vehicles.
