SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., March 23, 2006 – A zero emission hybrid electric bus with a UTC Power fuel cell system shuttled passengers on a route through the Torino, Italy, city center during the Winter Olympic games in February. The bus will continue to operate in Torino into the early summer. UTC Power is a leading worldwide producer of fuel cells and a company of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The bus was developed in partnership with Irisbus (Iveco) of Italy and has been operating in Italy since 2001.
According to UTC Power’s Mike Gorman, director of transportation programs, “The Olympics were an excellent venue for us to demonstrate the promise of fuel cell technology to the rest of the world. Passengers from many different countries were extremely interested in how the fuel cell bus worked and enthused about the technology and the fact that, with no emissions other than water vapor, it is good for the environment.”
The bus also was displayed at an area called HyPark, a venue open during the Olympics that demonstrated and showcased the role of hydrogen in producing sustainable energy.
The fuel cell system in the Torino bus is UTC Power’s first-generation fuel cell power plant for bus applications and was upgraded expressly for its Olympics duty. UTC Power has recently begun operation of its next-generation PureMotion™ 120 fuel cell power system in a fleet of four fuel cell hybrid buses operating in California with AC Transit and SunLine Transit companies.
The many benefits of fuel cell-powered buses include their quiet operation, a fuel efficiency that is more than two times better than a standard diesel-powered engine and no harmful emissions.
UTC Power has been providing fuel cell power plants for fleet transportation since 1998. Since 2001, its fuel cells have powered buses in the United States and Spain, besides Italy.
United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides high-technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. Its UTC Power unit, based in South Windsor, Conn., includes UTC Fuel Cells and is a full-service provider of environmentally advanced power solutions. With more than 40 years of experience, UTC Power is a world leader in developing and producing fuel cells for onsite power, transportation and space flight applications, and a developer of innovative combined cooling, heating and power applications in the distributed energy market.
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