Buses and other fleet vehicles are likely to be the first modes of transportation to widely deploy fuel cells for one simple reason. They generally return to a central depot or station each night, thereby eliminating the need for multiple refueling locations. A single hydrogen filling station can support a fleet from one location.
Every day, UTC Power fuel cells power transit buses in North America and Europe.
UTC Power currently has four of its PureMotion™ Model 120 powerplants in commercial service in California. AC Transit operates three zero-emission hybrid-electric fuel cell powered buses in Oakland, California, and Sunline Transit operates one in the Palm Springs, California area.
2002 - A Thor bus powered by a UTC Power fuel cell powerplant was the first fuel cell hybrid bus to enter into passenger service in California. The 30-foot ThunderPower bus was operated by SunLine Transit Agency and used in daily passenger service. The bus was later operated by AC Transit through October 2004, exceeding its design life by 50 percent.
2000 - UTC Power signed partnership agreements with Thor Industries, the largest maker of mid-size buses in the United States, and Irisbus, one of the largest European bus manufacturers. Irisbus built two hybrid buses powered by UTC Power fuel cell powerplants — one for passenger service in Madrid, Spain, and the other for service in Torino, Italy.
UTC Power was one of the first companies to integrate fuel cell powerplants in buses
1998 - Working with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Georgetown University, UTC Power integrated a 100 kilowatt phosphoric acid fuel cell powerplant into a full-size bus. The bus, capable of running on a number of fuels, including methanol and compressed natural gas, operates as a student shuttle service on the Georgetown campus. Building on its history of success, UTC Power incorporated its proprietary PEM fuel cell technology into city buses.
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