Ballard, Dantherm aim to lead European backup power

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 92 KB
• Volume: 2010
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(10)70060-2

✦ Synopsis

BC Transit has purchased 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses, and the hydrogen and infrastructure to fuel them. The low-floor buses have a range of 450-500 km (280-310 miles), a top speed of 90 km/h (55 mph), and a life expectancy of 20 years.

The total budget of the demonstration project is C$89.5 million (US$84m), covering capital and operating costs to March 2014. The funding is being provided by the Canadian federal government, the BC provincial government, the municipality of Whistler, and the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association. Construction of the Whistler Transit Centre cost C$23.2m (US$21.7m), although it came in C$2m under budget.

More than 40 Air Liquide hydrogen stations have been installed around the world. Other Canadian programs include the airports in Vancouver [FCB, December 2009] and Montreal [FCB, June 2009], which are installing hydrogen stations to supply fuel cell and hydrogen internal combustion engine passenger and utility vehicles.