A major difference between this bus project and earlier projects is Hydrogenics' proprietary vehicle-to-grid technology. This capability enables a vehicle's power supply to provide offboard power and power to the grid, while the vehicle is sitting idle. The company has been developing technology around the concept of using vehicles as a source of distributed power, and has been aggregating key intellectual property in this area for two years.
Rather than designing a single 180 kWe power module in the rear engine compartment, where it would exert an excessive load on the rear axle, Hydrogenics' design will incorporate a distributed array of discrete power modules, for higher reliability, maintainability and flexibility for both grid and road power. Hydrogen fuel will be stored in high-pressure storage tanks from Calgary-based Dynetek, which is developing the complete fuel storage solution using its certified hydrogen fuel storage system.
Hydrogenics' third-generation HyPM 20 kWe power module -known as the HyPM-LP2 -has several key improvements over previous HyPM generations. Its low-profile configuration makes it more practical for a wide range of transportation and stationary applications and, if necessary, to increase power output by incorporating multiple power modules.
Its low-pressure operation, essentially at ambient, contributes significantly to reductions in parts, cost, noise, weight and parasitic loading, resulting in an easier-to-manufacture power module with more efficient power generation. The power module's controls are simplified and optimized to give a faster and smoother dynamic response. Its dual-stack design improves the reliability through redundancy, while more direct access to subsystems improves maintainability.
The Winnipeg pilot project is designed to capitalize on an emerging market for hydrogen fuel-cell engines. Hydrogenics and GM are trying to secure a contract with the Chinese government to supply emission-free vehicles for the 2008 Summer Olympics, while in Canada, the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics bid includes a requirement for 100 fuel-cell buses.