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

  • Europe’s heavy trucks ‘no more fuel-efficient than ten years ago’
    December 4, 2015
    A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) claims that trucks in the European Union are no more fuel-efficient than they were a decade ago. The study, which analyses data from the European commercial trucking market, looking at key member states, manufacturers and fuel consumption trend, found that heavy-duty vehicles represent only four per cent of the on-road fleet in the European Union, but are responsible for 30 per cent of on-road CO2 emissions. In contrast, the study cla
    Read More
  • Report analyses multiple ITS projects to highlight cost and benefits
    March 16, 2015
    Every year in America cost benefit analysis is carried out on dozens of ITS installations and pilot studies and the findings, along with the lessons learned, are entered into the Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) web-based ITS Knowledge Resources database. This database holds more than 1,600 reports and periodically the USDOT reviews the material on file to draw conclusions from this wider body of evidence. It has just published one such review ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Re
    Read More
  • Off-grid EV charging coming to Israel 
    December 1, 2021
    Partners will consider expanding the cooperation to projects in China
    Read More
  • Rapid growth of bus rapid transit schemes on US Pacific coast
    January 27, 2012
    This section pulls together all the multi-modal topics in each issue. Subject matter will include smartcards; ticketing and payment systems; passenger information systems; fleet management for buses, trains and light rail; park and ride systems; on-line access to real-time information via Internet portals
    Read More

Highlighted Content