| Fuel cells in buses
Every day, UTC Power fuel cells power transit buses in North America and Europe.
Buses and other fleet vehicles are one of the first commercial modes of transportation powered by fuel cells for one simple reason. They return to a central depot or station for refueling, reducing the need for widespread refueling networks. A single hydrogen filling station can support an entire fleet from one location.
Six transit buses are in commercial service powered by PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cell powerplants. These buses are operating in California, Connecticut, and Belgium. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) operates three zero-emission hybrid-electric fuel cell-powered buses in Oakland, California, and SunLine Transit operates one in Palm Springs, California. Another bus is operated by CT Transit in Hartford, Connecticut, and European experience is being gained with one transit bus in commercial service with De Lijn Transit in Antwerp, Belgium.
Reports by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), www.nrel.gov, are published regularly and evaluate the performance of all fuel cell buses in the U.S. fleet. In California, for example, the fuel cell buses provided almost a 70 percent increase in efficiency by averaging seven diesel-equivalent miles per gallon compared to only four miles per gallon for conventional diesel-powered buses while operating the same route. A similar back-to-back test indicated that the fuel cell buses provided greater than twice the efficiency by averaging more than eight diesel-equivalent miles per gallon compared to an average of 3.37 for their compressed natural gas (CNG) bus counterparts. This data and more are available at the NREL website: http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_fc_bus_eval.htmlhttp://
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, operated as a student shuttle service on the Georgetown campus. Building on its history of success, UTC Power incorporated its proprietary proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology into city buses.
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| 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.
| 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.
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| 2005 - A Van Hool bus powered by PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cells from UTC Power was launched at SunLine Transit in Thousand Palms, California. The bus is still operating today with over 84,000 miles logged in commercial service. | | 2006 - Three Van Hool buses powered by PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cells from UTC Power were launched by AC Transit in Oakland, California. The buses are still operating today with over 200,000 combined miles logged in commercial service. | 
|  | 2007 - Two more Van Hool buses powered by PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cells from UTC Power were launched, including one operated by CT Transit in Hartford, Connecticut. The other bus was a special design with a steerable rear axle (third axle) allowing the bus to carry up to 100 people and still navigate through narrow streets in Belgium on commercial transit routes. |
2008 - The largest U.S. fuel cell bus order was placed. Twelve more buses powered by PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cells from UTC Power were ordered for AC Transit in Oakland, California, based on the success of the first demonstration. They will be operated in commercial service in the greater Oakland area.
2008 - Four more buses powered by PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cells from UTC Power were ordered for the Hartford, Connecticut, area with opportunities for loan programs to various transit agencies.
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| SUMMARY
UTC Power is a
proven leader in
developing, producing
and servicing fuel cells
for transportation.
Experience includes:
- UTC Power fuel cells
have provided electrical
power and drinking
water on all U.S.
manned space flights
since 1966
- Powering transit
buses in commercial
service in the U.S.
and Europe
- Develop technology for
leading auto companies |
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This Is UTC Power