Unveiling of Expo Shuttle Bus Using Synthetic Fuel Supported by Green Innovation Fund Project
April 3, 2025
As part of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project, ENEOS Corporation, West Japan JR Bus Company, and Hino Motors, Ltd. plan to operate an Expo Shuttle Bus powered by synthetic fuel— between Osaka Station and the Expo venue during Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
On March 27, 2025, an unveiling ceremony for the shuttle bus was held at the Umekita Green Place Bus Parking Lot in Osaka. Dr. IIMURA Akiko, Executive Director of NEDO attended the ceremony, which included a test ride of the shuttle bus.
Under NEDO’s “Green Innovation Fund Project / Development of High-Efficiency Liquid Fuel Production Technology Using Synthetic Reactions from CO2,” ENEOS constructed Japan’s first demonstration plant capable of producing one barrel (approximately 160 liters) of synthetic fuel per day at its Central Technical Research Laboratory in Yokohama. The plant began operations in September 2024, and the synthetic fuel produced there will be used to power the Expo shuttle bus.
Synthetic fuel not only contributes to achieving carbon neutrality, but also enables the production of a wide range of products such as naphtha, gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel. Since it can be used with existing infrastructure, it offers the advantage of lower implementation costs. For these reasons, its early social implementation is highly anticipated.
By supplying this synthetic fuel to the Expo shuttle bus, the initiative supports the “EXPO 2025 Green Vision” and offers passengers a firsthand experience of a carbon-neutral society powered by next-generation fuels.
The project aims to launch a commercial-scale plant in the early 2030s, and NEDO will continue to support the social implementation of this technology.
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Design picture of Synthetic Fuel Expo Shuttle Bus
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Photo of the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
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Photo of Synthetic Fuel Expo Shuttle Bus Running