Meet Sora: A hydrogen-fuel bus at 2020 Olympics that will shuttle visitors between venues

Sora is equipped with a system that shares information on the distance between the vehicles.

By ET Bureau | Oct 28, 2019, 09.39 AM IST

Toyota Motor Corp has rolled out 15 hydrogen fuel cell buses that will go up to 100 during the games to shuttle visitors between venues.

Buses may not be the most-glamorous mode of transport but at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, they will represent Toyota Motor Corp’s best bet for wider acceptance of hydrogen power. The automaker has rolled out 15 hydrogen fuel cell buses that will go up to 100 during the games to shuttle visitors between venues.

“The idea is to show that hydrogen can be a part of everyone’s life and for people to take that away from the Games,” said Yasunobu Seki of Toyota’s Olympic projects department earlier this year.

As a public transport bus, the Sora requires high operation rate and safety performance at all times. To this end, the vehicle includes a function that cautions the driver when making right turns at intersections and a system that enables passengers to activate an emergency stop, such as if the driver suddenly falls ill.

Sora is also equipped with a system that shares information on the distance between the vehicles, to prevent buses in a convoy from being separated, leading to overall improvements in transportation capacity, speed, and punctuality of the buses.

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