Van Pool requests 40 Ballad fuel-cell engines for buses in Germany

Ballad Power Systems (Ballad) has received a letter of intent from original equipment manufacturer partner Van Hool, for 40 FCveloCity-HD 85-kilowatt fuel cell engines to power buses in Germany under the first Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe (JIVE) program. These projects aim to commercialise fuel cell electric buses, reduce costs and support the development of hydrogen refuelling stations. Van Hool plans to deploy 30 of these buses with the Regionalverkehr Köln transit agency in
March 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Ballad Power Systems (Ballad) has received a letter of intent from original equipment manufacturer partner Van Hool, for 40 FCveloCity-HD 85-kilowatt fuel cell engines to power buses in Germany under the first Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe (JIVE) program. These projects aim to commercialise fuel cell electric buses, reduce costs and support the development of hydrogen refuelling stations.

Van Hool plans to deploy 30 of these buses with the Regionalverkehr Köln transit agency in Cologne. It also intends to run the other 10 models with Wsw mobil transit agency in Wuppertal, with deliveries expected to begin in 2019.

JIVE programs are supported by grants valued €57m (£50m) from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. The first initiative targets deployment of 139 fuel cell buses in nine locations while the second one aims to launch 152 models in 14 locations.

The results of these schemes are expected to demonstrate the technical readiness of fuel cell buses to operators and the economic viability of hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel to policy makers.

Rob Campbell, Ballard chief commercial officer, said: "There is momentum in the growing global deployments of fuel cell technology for heavy duty transportation applications. Where transit buses and other heavy vehicles are typically characterized by high utilization rates together with the need for rapid refueling, fuel cell electric platforms are an especially attractive zero-emission alternative. We are very pleased with this progress and expect to begin work soon with Van Hool in fulfilling initial buses under the JIVE I program, in addition to the engines we announced last September for use in Van Hool tram-buses planned for deployment in Pau, France."

Related Content

  • 10 years on, where’s MaaS heading?
    July 7, 2025
    Where are we now with Mobility as a Service? Roelof Hellemans of MaaS Alliance takes a look back over the last decade – and looks ahead to how the industry needs to be thinking in future
    Read More
  • Singapore plans changes to transit system
    June 13, 2018
    Singapore has the third-highest population density in the world and the numbers are continuing to grow. The government knows that transit is vital: David Crawford investigates the city state’s Smart Nation strategy. Transport is the most important of the five domains identified as the pillars of Singapore's far-reaching Smart Nation strategy, launched in November 2014 by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of reaching fulfilment by 2024. Roads account for 12% of the island republic's 719km2 land ar
    Read More
  • Autonomous driving and emissions regulations fuelling 48v power-net
    February 17, 2017
    The launch of autonomous vehicles and a host of electronic components render the current 12-volts (v) battery nearly unusable, says a new report by Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of the Global 48v Power-net Market. To meet stringent global emissions regulations and offer a basic semi-autonomous system, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must electrify components while offering a bigger source of power. Therefore, OEMs plan to migrate to a 48v power-net and use two voltages. Heavy-duty, power-h
    Read More
  • TagMaster to supply RFID system for São Paulo monorail project
    March 23, 2012
    Bombardier Transportation has selected TagMaster’s advanced onboard RFID solution for a new monorail mass transit system in São Paulo, Brazil.
    Read More

Highlighted Content