Toyota and Hino to provide fuel-cell bus for Tokyo airport routes

Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors, Ltd. have announced that they will provide a fuel-cell hybrid bus for a commercial bus route between central Tokyo and Tokyo International Airport run by Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd.

The provision is in response to a request from the Research Association of Hydrogen Supply/Utilization Technology (HySUT), a participant in the Hydrogen Highway Project. The Hydrogen Highway Project is a part of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Demonstration Program for establishing a hydrogen-based social system.

Toyota Motor and Hino will modify their jointly developed FCHV-BUS fuel-cell hybrid bus to airport-route specifications and lease it to HySUT, and HySUT will outsource operation of the bus to Airport Transport Service. Starting on December 16, 2010, the bus will make one round trip per day on a route between Shinjuku Station's West Exit and Haneda Airport and on one between Tokyo City Air Terminal and Haneda Airport.

The bus will be fueled with hydrogen at Tokyo Suginami Hydrogen Station in central Tokyo and Haneda Hydrogen Station in Haneda; both facilities are to begin operations on December 15, 2010.

Toyota Motor and Hino plan to analyze data from the operations of the bus and, with a mind toward practical application of fuel-cell hybrid buses, to proceed with further R&D.