Ballard announces an order for fuel cell modules to power 10 Solaris buses in Europe

VANCOUVER and HOBRO — Ballard Power Systems announced purchase orders from Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. on Feb. 2, a European bus and trolleybus manufacturer and Ballard partner headquartered in Bolechowo, Poland, for 10 Ballard FCmove™ fuel cell modules to power 10 Fuel Cell Electric Buses in the Netherlands. Ballard plans to ship the modules in 2021.

Ballard fuel cell modules will power 10 Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses planned for deployment with Arriva Nederland in the Province of Gelderland, the Netherlands later in 2021. These will replace diesel buses currently in service and are expected to cumulatively travel over 1-million kilometers (620,000 miles) per year.

Rob Campbell, Ballard Chief Commercial Operator said, “With the deployment of these 10 buses, Ballard modules will be powering a total of 67 Solaris buses in The Netherlands, Germany and Italy. The order we are announcing today is indicative of the growing European and global adoption of zero-emission Fuel Cell Electric Buses, driven by recognized benefits such as range, route flexibility, fast refueling and scalability of refueling infrastructure, which all contribute to a competitive Total Cost of Ownership, or TCO, in comparison to other zero-emission bus solutions.”

Partial funding for the Netherland deployment is being provided through Europe’s JIVE – or Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe – funding programs, which is intended to pave the way to commercialization of fuel cell electric buses by coordinating procurement activities to unlock economies-of-scale and reduce costs as well as supporting new hydrogen refueling stations. Results of the JIVE programs are expected to demonstrate the technical readiness of electric buses to bus operators and the economic viability of hydrogen as a zero-emission bus fuel to policy makers. The JIVE programs are supported by a total of €57 million in grants from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.