Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (TMC) and Hino Motors Ltd (Hino) have announced that their fuel cell-powered hybrid non-step commuter bus, the FCHV-BUS2, recently obtained certification from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The fuel cell bus became the first of its kind to be certified for use on Japanese public roads. The two companies plan to test their fuel cell-powered hybrid buses on public roads after license plates are issued in the near future.

TMC is actively pursuing the development of fuel cell hybrid vehicles (FCHVs) and plans to begin limited marketing of FCHV passenger vehicles in both Japan and the United States around the end of this year.

By improving public buses, TMC and Hino have for some time sought to improve the environmental aspects of roads and transport, including urban air quality, vehicle noise and efficiency of transporting people and goods. As part of these efforts, the FCHV-BUS1 based on Hino's non-step commuter bus was completed in June 2001.

The FCHV-BUS2 is an improvement on its predecessor. Four buses, including a 60-passenger model, have been road-certified by the Ministry. The FCHV-BUS2, like its predecessor, stores hydrogen in roof-mounted storage tanks, but it has two high-performance TMC-developed Toyota FC stacks, each with an output of 90 kilowatts, giving double the performance its predecessor, which has only one stack. The FCHV-BUS2's two motors each have a maximum output of 80 kilowatts and a maximum torque of 260 Newton-meters. Its hybrid system, in which a secondary battery stores energy regenerated during braking, precisely regulates the electricity supplied to the motors depending on the vehicle's operation, providing highly efficient operation.

The planned tests on public roads will be conducted in conjunction with related projects promoted by the Japanese government and other entities. Through these tests, the two companies hope to test the performance of their proprietary fuel cell system, collect a variety of data on operation as a commuter bus and move toward commercialization.
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/02/0927.html

Posted: 2002/11/24 07:22:32 AM
Japanese version

TAG Eco-product/Business , Energy , Global warming , Government , Manufacturing industry , Technology , Transportation