TOKYO -- Toyota Motor will pioneer Japanese sales of hydrogen fuel cell buses in 2017, broadening its offerings in zero-emissions vehicles.

The Japanese automaker is already a global leader in sales of fuel cell automobiles. Fuel cells generate electricity via a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Toyota aims to further develop the technology as the next generation of clean-energy vehicles.

The buses are expected to be priced around 100 million yen ($963,000), which will be partly subsidized by the transport ministry under an initiative to encourage the use of environmentally friendly vehicles across Japan.

Two buses will be sold in 2017 to Tokyo's Bureau of Transportation, which plans for them to begin operating by March. Toyota aims to supply 100-plus vehicles by 2020, the year Tokyo hosts the Olympics, and will prepare to strengthen production capacity.

Technology will be shared with Toyota's Mirai fuel cell passenger car for such components as the stack. The bus will boast a range exceeding 200km, thanks to a high-pressure hydrogen tank, and the ability to double as an emergency source of electricity.

The Mirai, launched in 2014, was the world's first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle. Toyota's Lexus luxury brand also plans to enter the field, and group member Toyota Industries is testing forklifts using the technology.

(Nikkei)