Toyota-Hino Fuel Cell Bus to Serve Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) and Vicinity

	


Tokyo, Japan, July. 18, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Motor Corporation
and Hino Motors, Ltd. announced today that its FCHV-BUS, which operated
on public routes in mid-March around the Central Japan International
Airport (Centrair) south of Nagoya, is to renew operation on July 22,
including expanded service to and within the airport.

The effort is part of a fuel cell demonstration program of the Ministry
of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI's) Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell
Demonstration Project (JHFC) and is intended to provide TMC and others
with data necessary for the commercialization of fuel cell hybrid buses.

Specifically, the FCHV-BUS (short for "fuel cell hybrid vehicle - bus")
will cover the entire "Tokoname Bus Route", from the "Chitahanda" stop
to the route's terminal "Centrair" stop, as well as a circular route on
the airport's man-made island. The bus will be operated by Chitanoriai
Co., Ltd. (Chitanoriai), with which TMC and Hino teamed up to operate
the bus from March 9 to 22 around Centrair as part of the Fuel Cell
Vehicle Practical Application Promotion Project of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT).

Furthermore, with the cooperation of Chubu Sky Support Co., Ltd. (CSS),
two units of the FCHV-BUS will be used by CSS to shuttle passengers
between Centrair's passenger terminal and airplanes on the tarmac.

The buses will be fueled at the JHFC Centrair Hydrogen Station, which
will be set up within Centrair as part of the JHFC's Demonstration Study
of Hydrogen Fueling Facilities for Fuel Cell Vehicles.


For reference

The National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory, which serves as
the main institution conducting research for the Fuel Cell Vehicle
Practical Application Promotion Project of the MLIT, made an appeal to
private companies in January 2006 to find companies interested in public
road-testing of fuel cell buses. TMC and Hino jointly responded and were
selected. 
The Japan Automobile Research Institute, which is promoting the JHFC
under METI, made an appeal in April of 2006 for third party participant
companies and organizations to run a fleet of fuel cell vehicles. TMC
and Hino responded jointly and were selected. 



About Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation develops and manufactures
vehicles, and is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world,
offering a wide range of products from minivehicles to trucks. In
addition to its core business, Toyota has a large business portfolio in
financial services, including sales finance, vehicle insurance, and
credit cards. It is also involved in telecommunications through a
subsidiary that provides cellular services in Japan. Other diversified
businesses include industrial equipment, prefabricated housing and
leisure boats. The company is headquartered in Aichi, Japan. For more
information, please visit www.toyota.co.jp/en/index.html.