Toyota Motor Corporation has begun sales of the Sora (an acronym for Sky, Ocean, River, Air)—the first fuel cell bus (FC bus) to receive vehicle type certification in Japan. Toyota expects to introduce more than 100 fuel cell buses, mainly within the Tokyo metropolitan area, ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which was developed for the Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), has been leveraged to realize high environmental performance with no CO₂ emissions or Substances of Concern (SoC) emitted when in operation, as well as quiet comfort with minimal vibration.

The Sora is equipped with a high-capacity external power output device, which can provide high output and a large capacity of electricity supply (9 kW maximum output, and electricity supply of 235 kWh) and has potential use as an emergency power source following disasters.

The Sora’s seats are automatically stored when not in use, improving comfort and convenience for passengers with strollers and wheelchairs as well as other passengers.

Eight high-definition cameras fitted inside and outside the vehicle detect pedestrians and bicyclists around the bus providing a field of vision support camera system. When at bus stops, the system warns the driver of surrounding pedestrians and bicyclists through sound notifications and images thereby improving safety.

Acceleration control function suppresses sudden acceleration and enables smooth acceleration from complete stops in consideration of the safety of standing passengers. Also, as the bus is not motor operated, there is no gear shifting, resulting in minimal lurching.

The bus is powered by twin 114 kW fuel cell stacks, driving two 113 kW, 335 N·m drive motors. Ten 70 MPa hydrogen storage tanks hold 600 liters of fuel; the bus is equipped with a NiMH battery.