Ballard Fuel Cell Modules to Power California UPS Trucks in Clean Energy Project

Vancouver, Canada – Ballard Power Systems announced that it will provide fuel cell modules to power 4 UPS delivery trucks as part of a project being managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and partially funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

CARB has announced a preliminary funding award of 5.8 million US-Dollar through its ZANZEFF (Zero and Near Zero Emissions Freight Facilities) grant program, which is focused on accelerating the adoption of clean freight technologies and reducing air pollution caused by the movement of goods throughout the state of California.

The Next Generation Fuel Cell Delivery Van Deployment Project will develop, validate, and deploy four Class-6 fuel cell electric hybrid delivery trucks with a view toward commercialization of the technology. Linamar Corporation will be the primary systems integrator of the vehicle, utilizing its existing hybrid powertrain configuration. Ballard will provide fuel cell modules for primary propulsion of each truck. The completed trucks are to be operated in parcel delivery service by UPS out of its Customer Center in Ontario, California.

Current battery-powered Class-6 UPS delivery trucks have a range limit that makes them suitable for only a percentage of routes, and often not for the majority of routes in any delivery area. This percentage can be further reduced if the delivery locations face unexpected heavier loads, hilly terrain or colder temperatures. As a result, for several months Ballard has been involved in the development of a UPS truck using a 30kW FCveloCity®-MD fuel cell module as a range extender, thereby addressing these limitations by boosting drive range and providing certainty of completing daily delivery missions while maintaining zero-emission performance.

According to Ballard Power, the project now announced with CTE will test performance of UPS delivery trucks using larger fuel cell modules to provide primary vehicle propulsion. Ballard expects to ship these modules in 2019, with operation of the UPS vans planned to begin in 2020.

Source: IWR Online, 29 Oct 2018