The Hino 195h uses advanced diesel-electric hybrid technology.

Showing my fuel economy prowess

Dec. 3, 2012
Outdistancing my fellow editors in an impromptu fuel economy challenge

As was reported on vehicleservicepros.com, I was among a select group of five veteran truck journalists invited to serve as a judge for the 2013 American Truck Dealers (ATD) Commercial Truck of the Year program.

This is a national award that recognizes the top truck entries in the heavy and medium duty categories.

Judging involved evaluating the nine truck nominees using an especially-created scoring system that encompassed three main judging categories: innovation and design, safety and driver satisfaction.

One of nominees in the medium duty truck category was a Class 5 Hino 195h Diesel-Electric Hybrid. It had a 210-hp Hino J05E Series diesel mated to an Aisin 6-speed fully automatic transmission.

As part of the judging, each judge had to drive every truck over a specified course that included city and highway driving.

Spencer Nico, Hino Motors Sales U.S.A.’s senior manager for strategic product applications, who managed the Hino 195h at the judging event, conducted a spur-of-the-movement fuel economy challenge. Using the dash cluster display, he tracked the miles per gallon each judge achieved over the course.

I am proud to say I got the most miles from a gallon of fuel: 14 mpg. While I will not divulge the names, the editor with the next best mpg got 12.1. The last place mpg was 10.1.

If I was only as easy on the throttle in my own vehicles.

About the Author

David A. Kolman | Contributor - Fleet Maintenance

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