The project, which is being funded as part of the European Union’s Cleaner Hydrogen in Cities (CHIC) project, will enable the city of London to reduce its CO2 emissions by 60% from the 1990 level, by 2025.
The contract requires Ballard to provide modules to a consortium including transit bus supplier Wrightbus, bus operator First Group and Transport for London (TfL), the local transit authority, which is supporting this climate improvement goal through promotion of sustainable travel.
The project will see three additional hybrid buses joining five existing buses, also powered by Ballard’s FCvelocity fuel cell modules for deployment in revenue service in TfL’s fleet by the end of 2010.
The deployment of these eight buses will enable TfL to operate its central Covent Garden-Tower Gateway route entirely by means of hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses, which will be served by a new central hydrogen refueling station, with fuel provided by Air Products.
Ballard chief commercial officer Michael Goldstein said that there are more than seventy thousand buses operating in Europe today and this announcement is a sign of the growing trend toward clean energy technology.
