Ballard Inks $10 Million Deal to Power 33 Clean Energy Buses in China
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Fuel cell maker to bring zero-emission vehicles to two Chinese cities
VANCOUVER and BEIJING—Ballard Power Systems will be bringing its fuel cell technology across the Pacific.
The company signed a supply agreement with Nantong Zehe New Energy Technology Co. and Guangdong Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology Co. to provide fuel cell power products and technology solutions to support the planned deployment of 33 fuel cell-powered buses in the Chinese cities of Rugao and Yunfu. The deal has an estimated value of $10 million.
“We continue to see strong growth opportunities in China’s mass transit market where fuel cells are increasingly being discussed as the next generation of clean propulsion,” Randy MacEwen, Ballard President and CEO said at a ceremony in Beijing. “This demand is being driven by China’s growing need for clean urban mass transit and air quality policies.”
The size and rapid growth of China’s economy has resulted in considerably larger carbon dioxide emissions than other nations. In 2013, for example, China’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels accounted for 29% of the global total, compared to 15% from the United States. As a result of air quality issues, a new energy program was launched in 2011, involving 48 Chinese cities with an objective of expanding public transit while also reducing the number of vehicles in cities. One of the program’s specific goals is to deploy more than 1,000 clean energy buses in each of the participating cities, taking advantage of Government subsidies to facilitate this expansion.
