At Hino’s Expo stand, Toyota Australia showcased a global model that pushes the limits of the latest hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Despite having its own history in the sector, Hino’s stand was devoted to the latest Toyota Fuel Cell technology.
As a Toyota Group company, Hino’s space featured a recently imported 10.7-metre H2.City Gold Fuel Cell Electric Bus manufactured by CaetanoBus in partnership with Toyota.
“At our stand we have a bus developed by CaetanoBus in Portugal under the shared Toyota and Caetano partnership badge,” Toyota Australia Energy Solutions Manager Matt Macleod told ABC. “It’s the first Bus & Coach Expo we’ve been to, so it’s been refreshing to get honest and constructive responses from the industry.”
The bus includes all of the latest technology Toyota and CaetanoBus bring to the hydrogen fuel cell space. On the roof, at the back of the bus, is a Generation 1 Toyota Fuel Cell. In the middle is a 44-kilowatt battery, while at the front are five hydrogen storage tanks holding 7.5 kilograms each.
Based on data from the manufacturer, the estimated range of the bus is around 450 kilometres. After only being delivered four weeks ago, the bus’s tanks were filled at Toyota Australia’s facility in Altona North and haven’t required refilling yet.
“Most hydrogen buses we’ve seen have been at least 12-metres long, making our 10.7-metre option unique,” Macleod says. “This bus here is a United Kingdom right-hand drive bus that’s only emission is water through its fuel cell reaction.
“It’s already been through local requirement testing with the necessary bodies. Now we’ll look at the extra technology, such as an air-conditioning unit.”
Toyota Australia also brought a car along with half of it removed to show its inner workings. The left side of the Generation 1 Mirai ‘Cutaway’ vehicle was removed to show where all of the components in the car were located. Macleod says the car’s hydrogen fuel cell systems work in a similar way to the bus, just on a smaller scale.
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“In the car, the fuel cell is in the front, while on the bus it’s in the back,” Macleod says. “Yet the way the system works is the same. The regenerative braking is the same and opening up half of the car can show those interested an up-close look of what we have put into the bus.”
Macleod says Toyota Australia imported the hydrogen bus to understand what the local market is like. Following the Expo, Toyota Australia plans to put the vehicle into on-road public transport trials starting in metro Melbourne.
To continue the hydrogen angle, Toyota also displayed its Mobile Hydrogen Education Centre at the stand.
“We brought the centre on the weekend before the Expo and set it up earlier in the week,” Macleod says. “It’s one of our most valuable assets in explaining why Toyota
is here and why it’s looking at hydrogen and electric technology.”
With videos from both Toyota and CaetanoBus playing in the background, Macleod says the stand was filled with information on a mobility company’s intentions when it comes to the bus and coach industry.
“The Hydrogen Education Centre is the perfect way of showcasing the journey Toyota has been on and will be on into the future and why,” Macleod says. “We aim to show the crowd that we’re focusing on multiple technologies (including hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric).
“The ultimate goal for Toyota is carbon neutrality across our products and our business, as well as diversity in providing options for all of our customers. This bus technology is an important part of our electrification journey.”