Skip to main content

Ballard to deploy 40 fuel cell modules to power buses in Germany

Ballard Power Systems will deploy 40 FCveloCity-HD fuel cell modules to power buses as part of the Joint Initiative for Hydrogen Across Europe (JIVE) funding programme. The transaction stems from an order placed by bus manufacturer Van Hool in Belgium. Initial shipments of the modules are expected later this year. Van Hool plans to deploy 30 buses in Germany with the Regionalverkehr Köln transit agency in Cologne, and the remaining ten buses with WSW Mobil in Wuppertal. The JIVE projects are intended to
May 8, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Ballard Power Systems will deploy 40 FCveloCity-HD fuel cell modules to power buses as part of the Joint Initiative for Hydrogen Across Europe (JIVE) funding programme. The transaction stems from an order placed by bus manufacturer Van Hool in Belgium.

Initial shipments of the modules are expected later this year. Van Hool plans to deploy 30 buses in Germany with the Regionalverkehr Köln transit agency in Cologne, and the remaining ten buses with WSW Mobil in Wuppertal.

The JIVE projects are intended to commercialise fuel cell electric buses and are supported by €57m in grants from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking - a public-private partnership which supports R&D in these technologies in Europe. The JIVE I programme targets the deployment of 139 fuel cell buses in nine locations while the second scheme aims to utilise 152 buses in 14 locations.

Results of the programmes are expected to demonstrate the readiness of fuel cell buses to bus operators and the economic viability of hydrogen as a fuel to policy makers.

Related Content

  • Europe launches smart air mobility trials 
    February 4, 2021
    European Commission-backed Sesar project has input from Indra, Thales and EHang
  • Inland waterways can de-stress city roads
    March 17, 2016
    David Crawford looks at an under-utilised solution for city-centre deliveries. The use of rivers and canals for moving freight is a well-established mode in North Western Europe, where it can take advantage of an intensively developed network. In the Netherlands, 40% of the total volume of goods transported internally goes by water; the figure for Flanders (the neighbouring Dutch-speaking region of Belgium) is 11.5%.
  • 5,000-hour durability milestone for transit bus fuel cell system
    February 1, 2012
    UTC Power, a United Technologies Corporation company, has announced one of its latest generation PureMotion Model 120 fuel cell powerplants for hybrid-electric transit buses has surpassed 5,000 operating hours in real-world service with its original cell stacks and no cell replacements.
  • Syracuse models post-industrial revival for US cities
    August 13, 2015
    A connective corridor in Syracuse, New York State, could be a model for other post-industrial cities, as David Crawford discovers. The aim of the city of Syracuse’ 5.6km-long Connective Corridor in Onandaga County in upstate New York is to create a model ‘complete street’ for use in wider regeneration schemes. Key transport-sector components are traffic calming, high-quality transit with accessible passenger information, plus walkability and bike-friendliness.