Colorado-based Mobile Energy Solutions is building a new bus for the Burbank, California, public transit system, that will run on hydrogen. The 37-passenger bus is expected to begin service in Burbank in summer 2008. The San Fernando Valley Business Journal reports that the new bus “will have a similar look to the condensed natural gas vehicles in the city’s fleet,” but with a different color scheme.
While the Coachella Valley Sunline Transit Agency and the AC Transit in Oakland already have hydrogen fuel cell buses, Burbank will be the first city in the Los Angeles area to have one. It doesn’t come cheap:
A big part of the nearly $2 million price tag gets picked up from a $1.3 million state grant from the Alternative Fuel Incentive Program. Martin Marietta Composites, Mobile Energy and the city divide the remainder.
Mobile Energy Solutions was one of only two companies that approached the city to take part in a pilot program for a hydrogen fuel bus.
The light weight composite body bus provided by Martin Marietta, will house two 16kW fuel cell modules and lithium titanate batteries from Hydrogenics Corporation. The on-board storage tanks provide hydrogen to the fuel cells which produce electricity, which energize the batteries that power the bus.
Hydrogenics Corp., based in Ontario, Canada, is a public company with stock traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (HYG.TO) and the Nasdaq (HYGS).
While this is the first hydrogen-powered bus in Burbank, the city of Burbank has already put hydrogen technology to use. In 2006 the city began operating a hydrogen station and five hydrogen internal combustion engine converted Prius vehicles as part of a program sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
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The implementation of a fuel cell bus in Burbank, CA reflects the leadership that California has shown developing a hydrogen infrastructure. The California Fuel Cell Partnership (http://www.cafcp.org/), a collaboration of 34 companies comprised of auto manufacturers, energy providers, government agencies and fuel cell technology companies, is working to establish a hydrogen infrastructure throughout the state. This collaboration has lead to the development of 28 hydrogen fueling stations in operation – many are located in the Los Angeles area.
The National Hydrogen Association is encouraged by the overall progress in California. In addition to Burbank, the AC Transit system, in the San Francisco bay area, has deployed 3 fuel cell buses. You can even see the buses running in real time, monitor power usage and pollution reduction achieved by visiting their website bus stats page. An additional 12 buses, 8 of them built by AC Transit, are on order and scheduled to go into operation by 2009.
The implementation of fuel cell buses represents only a portion of the progress in California. The automotive industry is gearing up to introduce hydrogen cars in the area as well. General Motors is preparing to launch “Project Driveway,” which will provide 100 Equinox cars to individuals to test for a period of three months. BMW is testing their version of a hydrogen car, which instead of using a fuel cell, uses an internal combustion engine that operates on hydrogen. Finally, Honda is scheduled to begin leasing their new FCX Clarity to consumers in summer 2008.
Other states, such as South Carolina and Connecticut, are making great strides learning from California’s collaborative efforts bringing industries together, working to make the hydrogen economy something that many critics have considered impossible – a reality.