J-Bus, a joint venture between Hino and Isuzu. Japanese automakers Toyota Motor and Isuzu Motors announced that they have agreed to jointly develop a new generation of fuel-cell route buses, with plans to launch commercial production in the 2026 fiscal year (ending in March 2027). The new fuel-cell buses will be based on the same platform used for the flat-floor, battery-powered route bus developed by Isuzu and manufactured by J-Bus since the 2024 fiscal year. They will be powered by Toyota’s latest hydrogen fuel cell system. Find out moreToyota said the two companies aim to minimize the cost of developing and producing the new fuel cell buses by maximizing the use of standardized battery electric vehicle (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) components, as they look to expand the use of zero-emission vehicles.