Skip to main content

Zero-emission bus project saves fuel

The CHIC (Clean Hydrogen in European Cities) project, a zero-emission bus project, has saved over four million litres of fuel since it began, according to the project’s coordinators. As part of the project 56 fuel cell buses – emitting nothing but water-vapour - have been operating in eight cities: Aarau (Switzerland), Bozen (Italy), London (UK), Milan (Italy) and Oslo (Norway), Cologne and Hamburg (Germany) and Whistler (Canada).
December 22, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

The CHIC (Clean Hydrogen in European Cities) project, a zero-emission bus project, has saved over four million litres of fuel since it began, according to the project’s coordinators.

As part of the project 56 fuel cell buses – emitting nothing but water-vapour - have been operating in eight cities: Aarau (Switzerland), Bozen (Italy), London (UK), Milan (Italy) and Oslo (Norway), Cologne and Hamburg (Germany) and Whistler (Canada).

CHIC says that over 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases have been saved, equal to the annual fuel consumption of 91 diesel buses and claims that this demonstrates that fuel-cell bus technology can underpin the decarbonisation of urban centres and play a key role in curbing emissions.

The project will run until the end of 2016. The cities involved in the project are currently planning for the expansion of the technology. Meanwhile, other bus trials have started and a major European programme is underway, with the aim to introduce hundreds of similar buses by 2020.

Kerstin K. Müller from 2069 Daimler Buses - 2032 EvoBus, co-ordinator of the CHIC project, said: 'We are very proud of the achievements of CHIC. The project has proven that fuel cell buses are far from being a research project and are nearly ready for commercialisation.’

Related Content

  • October 29, 2012
    European Parliament test drives fuel cell vehicles
    The 5th Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Drive ‘n’ Ride event was recently held in Strasbourg, France, under the patronage of Brian Simpson, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and chair of the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, to demonstrate the readiness of fuel cells and hydrogen as a viable route to zero emission transport in Europe.
  • April 16, 2012
    Fuel cell system sets record
    UTC Power, a United Technologies company, has announced that one of its latest generation PureMotion System Model 120 fuel cell powerplants for hybrid-electric transit buses has surpassed 10,000 operating hours in real-world service with its original cell stacks and no cell replacements. This powerplant is aboard an Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus operating in the Greater Oakland, California area.
  • March 6, 2018
    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
  • September 22, 2017
    Transport industry experts gather in Brussels to commit to hydrogen mobility
    Transport industry leaders have gathered in Brussels today to confirm their commitment to expanding the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure across Europe Global vehicle manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Symbio and Toyota, as well as leading hydrogen refuelling infrastructure providers, are gathering at the Hydrogen for Clean Transport conference to discuss and debate hydrogen-based solutions towards a zero emission transport