New Flyer provides 20 buses for California green transit project, while Ballard chips in fuel cells
by Cleantech Canada Staff
New Flyer is supplying hydrogen buses to two transit authorities in California, while Vancouver-based Ballard Power Systems is contributing the fuel cells to power these vehicles
ST. CLOUD, Minn.—Bus manufacturer New Flyer Industries Inc. announced Feb. 13 that it will supply 20 Xcelsior XHE40 hydrogen fuel cell buses to transit authorities in California, 10 to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) and 10 to Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).
Delivery of the fleet is expected in 2018, after which New Flyer will provide support through its local subsidiaries.
The project is funded by the California Air Resources Board’s Low Carbon Transportation and Air Quality Improvement Program.
New Flyer’s Xcelsior buses have a range of approximately 500 kilometers, can be refueled in less than 10-minutes without the need for overnight plug-in battery recharging, and generate zero tailpipe emissions.
New Flyer is the only North American transit bus manufacturer offering all three types of zero-emission propulsion systems: hydrogen fuel cell electric, battery-electric and trolley-electric buses.
“This important program provides New Flyer and our electric propulsion suppliers the production volume to gain efficiencies and drive costs down,” said Paul Smith, executive VP of Sales, Marketing and Customer Programs for New Flyer.
Ballard Power Systems, a Vancouver-based fuel cell manufacturer, will be providing 20 of its FCvelocity-HD 85-kilowatt fuel cell engines to the project, to power New Flyer’s Xcelsior buses.
Ballard’s fuel cell replaces an internal combustion engine by generating electricity to power an electric drive motor.
“Ballard looks forward to supporting AC Transit and OCTA in their use of clean energy fuel cell buses to help reduce dependence on petroleum, and to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in California,” said Karim Kassam, Ballard’s VP of Commercial.
