Toyota Converts 10 Olympic Games Coaches to Hydrogen Fuel-Cell

Toyota is retrofitting its hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains to 10 motor coaches to be used in next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

The move is a clear indication that the automaker is holding true to its long-held strategy to provide a mix of zero- and low-emission powertrains without committing solely to battery-electric-vehicle options, as some automakers have pledged.

Toyota, in its role as worldwide mobility partner of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, will use coaches coverted to fuel-cell propulsion to provide transportation for more than 5,000 visitors as part of its guest program during the Games. Afterwards, the hydrogen coaches will complete their full use cycle, providing service for public and private customers within the Ile de France region as a legacy of Paris 2024.

Toyota will supply hydrogen fuel-cell modules to convert the used Iveco coaches into zero-emission vehicles for the GCK consortium, a group of industrial companies offering technological solutions to accelerate the decarbonization of transport.

The converted coaches will be purchased by B.E. Green, a French company providing carbon-neutral transportation services, introducing the hydrogen vehicles into its existing fleet after use at the Games. The first converted long-distance coach with the Toyota fuel-cell module has been presented at the RNTP Transport Event in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

During conversion, the diesel engine and gearbox in the front of a coach are replaced with a 370-kW electric motor, batteries and a Toyota TFCM2-B fuel-cell module. The automaker says this demonstrates the flexibility of its fuel-cell modules and the potential of converting traditional transport into zero-emission vehicles.

Thiebault Paquet, vice-president Toyota Motor Europe, Hydrogen Factory, said: “The conversion of coaches into fuel-cell-electric vehicles is another important step towards achieving carbon neutrality in the transport sector. This cooperation perfectly illustrates how hydrogen applications benefit all business stakeholders and become long-term solutions.”