Ballard announces additional orders from Wrightbus for fuel cell modules

VANCOUVER and HOBRO — On Mar. 9, Ballard Power Systems announced that it had received follow-on purchase orders from Wrightbus, a bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Northern Ireland, for a total of 50 fuel cell modules to power Fuel Cell Electric Buses, or FCEBs, planned for deployment in a number of U.K. cities. The buses will be partially funded under the JIVE (Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe) program.

The orders for the 50 fuel cell modules announced on Mar. 9 are incremental to the previous orders for a total of 50 modules, with all 50 of those modules having shipped in 2020. Of the additional 50 modules announced on Mar. 9, 4 were shipped in 2020. All of these additional modules will power buses planned for deployment in a number of U.K. cities, including Birmingham, Aberdeen, London and Belfast.

Rob Campbell, Ballard Chief Commercial Operator said, “The orders announced today from Wrightbus for 50 fuel cell modules, in combination with the 50 modules noted in June 2020, underpins the value we place on our long-standing partnership with Wrightbus. The Fuel Cell Electric Bus market is now gaining momentum and is expected to continue on an aggressive growth path in Europe and globally. Ballard intends to continue leading with proven and reliable fuel cell products that offer superior total cost of ownership for bus fleet operators along with the benefits of fuel cell buses that deliver route flexibility, rapid refueling and long range zero-emission performance.”

The JIVE program provides partial funding for a total of 295 Fuel Cell Electric Buses, of which 120 are currently operating in the U.K., France, Italy, Denmark, Latvia, and The Netherlands. The remaining 175 FCEBs are expected to be deployed in various European cities by mid-2022. Ballard is supplying fuel cell modules for more than 85% of the FCEBs deployed and ordered to date under the JIVE program.