Fuel cell bus

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A fuel cell bus is a bus that uses a hydrogen fuel cell as its power source for electrically driven wheels, sometimes augmented in a hybrid fashion with batteries or a supercapacitor.

Several companies are conducting hydrogen fuel cell research and practical fuel cell bus trials. These include:

There are also fuel cell powered buses currently active or in production, such as a fleet of Thor buses with UTC Power fuel cells in California, operated by SunLine Transit Agency.[3]

Hydrogen-powered fuel-cell buses began operating in Beijing on an experimental basis in 2006.[4] Three fuel cell buses, made by Daimler in Germany and purchased with a grant from the U.N. Development Programme, were the first fuel cell buses to enter operation in China.[4] The technology has not gained broader use in the city because air pollution reduced the efficiency and operating life of fuel cells.[5]

The first Brazilian hydrogen fuel cell bus prototype began operation in São Paulo during the first semester of 2009. The hydrogen bus was manufactured in Caxias do Sul, and the hydrogen fuel will be produced in São Bernardo do Campo from water through electrolysis. The programme, called "Ônibus Brasileiro a Hidrogênio" (Brazilian Hydrogen Autobus), includes three additional buses.[6][7]

The town of Whistler in British Columbia, Canada owned and operated the largest fuel-cell bus fleet in the world, having been put in operation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. However, the costs were too high and the program halted in 2015.[8]

In Aberdeen, Scotland, the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project currently has 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses operating, the largest fleet in Europe.[9]

The Fuel Cell Bus Club is a global cooperative effort in trial fuel cell buses. Ford began leasing E-350 shuttle buses in late 2006. It conducted some trials:

See also

References

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  4. 4.0 4.1 "First clean fuel buses running on Beijing roads" Gov.cn 2006-06-21
  5. (Chinese) 姜天海, "杨裕生院士:氢燃料电池拯救不了蓝天" 中国科学报 2013-03-20
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  8. http://gas2.org/2015/03/10/vancouver-ends-hydrogen-bus-program-amid-high-costs/
  9. http://www.aberdeeninvestlivevisit.co.uk/Invest/Aberdeens-Economy/City-Projects/H2-Aberdeen/Hydrogen-Bus/Hydrogen-Bus-Project.aspx

External links