Ballard Powers First Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Bus for Orange County Transportation Authority

Vancouver, Canada and Orange County, USA - On May 23rd representatives from Ballard attended a ceremony to unveil the first zero-emission fuel cell bus to provide service for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), one of the largest transit agencies in California. The OCTA bus is the 6th American Fuel Cell Bus (AFCB) configuration delivered in California.

The AFCB configuration utilizes a Ballard fuel cell module to provide primary power. This is combined with a propulsion and power management systems and deployed in an 40-foot (12-meter) heavy duty transit bus.

Funding for the project was provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the National Fuel Cell Bus Program (NFCBP). The program includes testing of fuel cell bus technology components as well as demonstration of a number of fuel cell bus platforms. The NFCBP aims to improve fuel cell bus technology and manufacturing, moving the industry towards commercialization.

The OCTA bus will initially utilize hydrogen fueling infrastructure at the campus of the University of California in Irvine, which deployed its first fuel cell-powered bus in 2015, also utilizing a Ballard fuel cell module. UC Irvine is home to the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) which is focused on: facilitating, demonstrating and accelerating the development and deployment of fuel cell technology and fuel cell systems; promoting strategic alliances to address the market challenges associated with installation and integration of fuel cell systems; and educating and developing resources for the various stakeholders of the fuel cell community.

Source: IWR Online, 25 May 2016