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Fuel Cell Bus Club

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Main article: Fuel cell bus trial

The Fuel Cell Bus Club comprises the participants of the projects CUTE, ECTOS and STEP * [1] (these are explained below). Their website title says "the first fuel cell bus fleet".

They are currently running a two-year Mercedes-Benz Citaro hydrogen fuel cell bus trial using the largest fleet of fuel cell buses in the world, sharing all information. The buses were estimated to cost US$ 1.2 million each and have a range of 300 kilometres (186.4 mi) and carry around 70 passengers.

There are three buses in each of the 11 cities in the trial.

Projects

CUTE

Main article: Clean Urban Transport for Europe

CUTE stands for Clean Urban Transport for Europe. This European Union initiative is responsible for the fuel cell buses in Hamburg, London, Barcelona, Stockholm, Porto, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, and Madrid.

ECTOS

ECTOS stands for Ecological City Transport System. Icelandic New Energy is responsible for this project, the aim of which is to demonstrate "state-of-the-art" hydrogen technology by running part of the public transport system with fuel cell buses in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Hydrogen will be produced from domestic geothermal and hydro-powered energy sources by electrolysis.

STEP

STEP stands for Sustainable Transport Energy for Perth. This initiative of the Government of Western Australia's Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI), is being run by Path Transit, although Transperth is responsible for the fuel cell buses in Perth, Western Australia. These three buses are called "EcoBuses". They began service on September 27, 2004.

The Perth trial received 2.5 million dollars funding from the Department of the Environment and Heritage and the Australian Greenhouse Office.

The Perth trial has been endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

STEP is also sharing information with other fuel cell bus projects (see Fuel cell bus trial).

BP produces the hydrogen as a by-product at its Kwinana oil refinery (50 kilometres (31.1 mi) south of Perth). The hydrogen is then transported by road in specially-designed road tankers to a bus depot in the northern suburbs of Perth. Perth's buses have achieved greater reliability and better fuel economy than in any other city in this trial.

By June 2005 the Perth buses had covered more than 60,000 kilometres (37,282 mi) and completed almost 3,000 operational hours, with almost 60,000 passengers having used the service.[2]

Partners

The buses were manufactured by DaimlerChrysler, the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and use fuel cell engines manufactured by XCELLSIS Fuel Cell Engines, now a division of Ballard Power Systems, developed as an alliance of Ballard, DaimlerChrysler, and Ford Motor Company. A number of the cities are receiving their hydrogen from BP. The trial is being independently evaluated, mostly by Murdoch University.


See also

References

  1. ^ Official website Introduction
  2. ^ WA Government media statement
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