Ballard Power Receives Another Fuel Cell Order to Power Solaris Buses

Vancouver, Canada / Hobro, Denmark - Canadian fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power has received another major order to power 10 fuel cell buses. The order includes 20 Ballard FCmove-HD systems for the heavy duty sector.

Fuel cell specialist Ballard Power, listed on the RENIXX World renewable stock, index has been selected by Solaris Bus & Coach S.A., a leading European bus and trolleybus manufacturer and Ballard partner based in Bolechowo, Poland, to supply 10 additional Ballard FCmove™ fuel cell modules. The modules will power 10 Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses scheduled to enter service with Arriva Nederland in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands during 2021. The hydrogen buses will replace diesel buses currently in service and are expected to cover a cumulative distance of over 1 million kilometers per year.

Each of the single decker Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses is 12-meters (40-feet) long, has 37 seats and total capacity for 85 people, and is capable of traveling 350 kilometers (210 miles) on a single hydrogen refueling. Among other features, the buses have air conditioning, a modern passenger information system, built-in USB charging points, wheelchair access and CCTV cameras.

The order is indicative of the growing European and global adoption of zero-emission Fuel Cell Electric Buses, said Rob Campbell, chief commercial operator at Ballard. These are driven by fuel cell propulsion benefits such as range, route flexibility, fast refueling and scalability of refueling infrastructure, which contribute to a competitive total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to other zero-emission bus solutions, Campbell added.

Part of the funding for the deployment in the Netherlands is provided by the European funding program JIVE (Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe), which aims to pave the way for commercialization of FCEBs by coordinating procurement activities to unlock economies of scale and reduce costs, as well as supporting new hydrogen refueling stations.

Ballard Power had already received orders last year 2020 in March and April under the JIVE2 program to supply a total of 45 FCmove fuel cell modules to power Solaris Urbino 12 buses. In 2019, Ballard had received an order for 12 Solaris Urbino 12 buses to be used in Bolzano, Italy With the order now reported, Ballard modules will power a total of 67 Solaris buses in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.

Source: IWR Online, 04 Feb 2021