(Aachen) – For some time now, there has been an increasing number of reports from municipalities and companies that want to supplement their local public transport fleets with hydrogen-powered buses or even completely convert their fleets. In the ersten Teil we presented projects in Germany. In this second part we present some plans from Europe, Asia and the USA.
Incheon: 2.000 hydrogen buses
The city administration of the port and industrial city of Incheon on the northwest coast of South Korea, barely 30 kilometers from the capital Seoul, wants to use 200 fuel cell buses this year. Next year the number is expected to increase to 700.
The Hyundai “Elec City Fuel Cell” bus has already been test driven by transport companies in Europe, including in Cologne and Munich. In Austria, a copy went into practical testing as a Wiener Linien city bus in 2021 as part of the “HyBus Implementation” project (photo). Graz and Tyrol are also involved in the long-term testing, which will run until the end of March 2024. © HyBus EU / Stefan Gruber
A corresponding agreement was signed by Environment Minister Han Wha-jin, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Incheon city government, the Hyundai Motor Company and the energy company SK E&S Co.Ltd. But that's not all: According to the agreement, the Ministry of the Environment has pledged its political support so that the city, which has around three million inhabitants, can replace its entire fleet with more than 2030 hydrogen buses by 2.000.
Schematic representation of the Hyundai bus with battery and hydrogen tank (both on the roof) as well as fuel cell (rear) and drive system. © Hyundai Truck & Bus
The ministries will subsidize the purchase of the first 700 vehicles. The Ministry of Transport also wants to improve regulations to make the use of such buses easier, reports the Korea Joong Ang Daily portal, the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper Joong Ang Ilbo. Hyundai is building the vehicles, SK E&S, which is active in the gas business, is supplying liquid hydrogen and building a gas station in the region.
According to the Ministry of Environment, there are currently seven hydrogen filling stations in Incheon, and seven more are currently being built. The city administration itself sets the goal of a total of 20 stations by 2025.
SK E&S is building a hydrogen production plant in Incheon with an annual capacity of 30.000 tons. © SK E&S
SK E&S had already announced the construction of a hydrogen plant in Incheon with an annual production capacity of 30.000 tons in August last year. According to the company, SK Plug Hyverse Co.Ltd. – a joint venture between SK E&S and the US company Plug Power Corp. – an agreement with authorities and industry according to which around 2024 billion won (13 million euros) will be invested in the construction of a hydrogen filling station at the airport by 9,37.
New York: 5 buses from Ideanomics
Fenton Mobility Products Inc., a New York-based public transportation supplier, wants to work with the US company Ideanomics Inc. to build five hydrogen-powered buses for the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA).
The prototype of Ideanomics' new fuel cell vehicle is in the works. The company has so far attracted attention with a technology to wirelessly charge battery-electric buses using an induction field on the road. The charging system called “Wave” serves outputs of 125 to 500 kilowatts. A 1 megawatt charger is in the development stage. © Ideanomics Inc.
Under the agreement, Fenton Mobility will supply high clearance vehicles. Ideanomics will assemble the fuel cell drive and produce the associated components through its subsidiary US Hybrid. As soon as the prototype has completed the endurance testing required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approval authority, production of five additional vehicles will begin, which are scheduled to be delivered by the first quarter of 2024.
According to the information, the contract value is over 2,2 million dollars (2,03 million euros). The cost of the buses will be covered by funding from a U.S. Department of Transportation grant. In total, RGRTA has received $23 million in funding for the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell buses. New York has set a goal for several transit agencies across the state – including RGRTA – to fully convert their fleets to zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
New York: Another 3 buses for RGRTA
However, the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) is not just relying on a single supplier, but wants to test several variants. The large bus manufacturer Eldorado National California Inc. (ENC) has also received an order from RGRTA. According to the information, ENC is to deliver three “Axess EVO Fuel Cell” fuel cell buses.
Graphical representation of the “Axess EVO-FC” from ENC. The vehicle can travel 400 kilometers on one tank of fuel. © Eldorado National California Inc.
As reported, the Axess program was launched by ENC last year and consists of two public buses: the battery-electric type “Axess Battery Electric” and the “Axess Hydrogen Fuel Cell” type with fuel cells. According to the information, the Axess EVO FC is powered by “the most powerful fuel cell” in the industry and an electrical train from the US technology group BAE Systems Inc. The drive system is combined with a 125 kilowatt fuel cell engine from Plug Power. Plug will also provide the refueling infrastructure.
The Axess EVO FC is designed to have a range of 400 miles (650 kilometers) and can be refueled in 12 to 20 minutes. ENC is expected to deliver the Axess EVO-FC buses to RGRTA in 2024.
Philadelphia: 10 buses by summer 2024
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Board of Directors has approved a contract to purchase ten fuel cell buses. The US subsidiary of the Canadian bus manufacturer New Flyer Industries Inc. is named as the manufacturer. SEPTA is the operating company for most of the local public transport in the Philadelphia area in the US state of Pennsylvania with around 120 city and regional buses and two subways.
SEPTA has ordered ten hydrogen buses from bus manufacturer New Flyer. © New Flyer Industries Inc.
The purchase will allow the company to test this technology and further develop plans for a zero-emission bus fleet. “For the past two decades, SEPTA has been a leader in the transit industry’s transition to hybrid buses,” said Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon Sr. “With this fuel cell bus pilot program, we will be on the cutting edge of zero-emissions technology.”
The order, worth around 17 million dollars (15,7 million euros), includes the delivery of twelve meter (40 foot) long low-floor buses as well as the refueling infrastructure, training aids as well as tools and equipment. The costs are subsidized by a $1,5 million grant from the US Federal Transit Administration.
The new vehicles are scheduled to be put into operation by summer 2024. Over 90 percent of SEPTA buses are electric-diesel hybrid vehicles. A feasibility study is currently examining the procurement of zero-emission buses, both battery-electric and with fuel cells, to replace the current fleet.
Madrid: 10 buses from Portugal
The Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT) wants to add ten hydrogen buses to the Spanish capital's local public transport for the first time; optionally it could also be 20. The Portuguese bus manufacturer Caetanobus was chosen as the supplier. The twelve meter long model “H2. “City Gold” is being developed in collaboration with Toyota, whose fuel cell drives have already been tested in the “Mirai” car. Delivery is scheduled for the “first few months” of next year.
The public transport company “Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid” wants to supplement the Spanish capital’s local public transport with ten to twenty hydrogen buses from Caetanobus. © Caetanobus
According to the tender documents from December 2022, the unit costs should be 640.000 euros. According to the company, the range must be at least 280 kilometers. The documents also stipulated that the bus models should have similar features to all other standard electric or natural gas buses in the city's fleet, that the charging time for the vehicles should be around ten minutes and that they should be equipped with rear-view mirrors and cameras.
The municipal transport company is currently building Madrid's first hydrogen plant in Entrevías. According to the company, this includes the entire chain from the electrolyzer with a production capacity of 18 kilograms of hydrogen per hour, its storage in three tanks with medium and high pressure to distribution. This also involves the installation of a photovoltaic system, the electricity from which is used to produce green hydrogen. The work is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The investments amounting to 10,86 million euros are co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with 2,65 million euros.
Photos
The Korean city of Incheon plans to use around 2024 hydrogen buses from Hyundai by the end of 700. The Hyundai “Elec City Fuel Cell” bus has been in use in South Korea since 2019. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle can travel 500 kilometers on one tank of fuel. © Hyundai Truck & Bus
