What's the news?
Amid the mire of hybrid and fully electric vehicles currently on sale or in development, it's easy to forget about fuel-cell technology. Toyota certainly hasn't, and in the lead-up to the Tokyo motor show it has revealed two new concepts that utilise hydrogen as their main energy source.
The first is the Fine-Comfort Ride (can't see that moniker making production somehow...), a six-seat quasi-MPV with a 1,000km range. In case you were wondering, Fine stands for 'Future IN Electrified Vehicle', and this concept follows on from the Fine-S shown at Detroit way back in 2003.
Motors powered by electricity from the front-mounted fuel cell and located in-wheel aid manoeuvrability, while also reducing noise intrusion into the cabin. Performance is brisk, with a top speed of 220km/h and a 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds being quoted, with the hydrogen refuelling time said to be only three minutes.
The body shape is optimised for drag reduction and cloaks a sumptuously-appointed cabin, while advanced autonomous technology watches over the driver, assisting as and when It is needed.
The wheels on the bus...
Go round and round, with no nasty emissions to worry about. That's the idea behind the Sora concept, another hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, only this time one that can transport 79 people (including the driver). Sora is an acronym for Sky, Ocean, River, Air - representing the earth's water cycle, and neatly referencing hydrogen's biggest benefit as a fuel source.
The Sora is much closer to a production-ready state than the Fine-Comfort Ride, with the first examples due next year. Indeed, Toyota plans to have more than 100 of these zero-emission buses on the road ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Now this isn't CompleteBus.ie, so we'll save you the boring bits. Anyone familiar with the Toyota Mirai will be interested to note that its fuel-cell system has been adapted for use in the Sora, with added capability to provide an external power supply for emergencies.