Toyota to sell fuel cell buses

From early next year, Toyota will be ramping up its production of fuel cell buses ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Toyota Motor Corporation will begin selling fuel cell buses under the Toyota brand from early 2017.

Having already undergone repeated field tests for practical use, the Bureau of Transportation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to use two fuel cell buses on fixed routes.

Toyota says it plans to introduce over 100 fuel cell buses mainly in the Tokyo area, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Fuel Cell buses will be sold for the first time in Japan to help increase the general public's level of understanding of fuel cell buses in public transport.

The Toyota fuel cell bus was developed by Toyota in conjunction with Hino Motors Ltd.

The Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which was developed for the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, has been adopted to provide better energy efficiency in comparison with internal combustion engines and to deliver superior environmental performance, with no CO2 emissions or substances of concern (SOCs) when driving.

The bus also uses a high-capacity external power supply system. With a power supply capable of a 9kW maximum output, and a large capacity of electricity supply at 235kWh, the fuel cell bus can be used as a power source in the event of disasters, at evacuation sites such as school gymnasiums, or its electricity supply can also be harnessed for home electric appliance use.

The Toyota Group says it considers the use of hydrogen to be a powerful source of energy for the future. Toyota has already released the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, while also engaging in the technological and product development of fuel cell buses and forklifts, as well as stationary fuel cells for use in homes.

The group will accelerate developments in a unified manner to contribute to the realisation of a hydrogen-based society.

Toyota to sell fuel cell buses

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