Ballard Power Systems has signed an agreement with European bus manufacturer Van Hool NV and the Transit Authority in Aberdeen, Scotland, for the development of 10 buses that will be powered by Ballard's 150 kW FCvelocity-HD6 hydrogen fuel cell module. Aberdeen's fuel cell buses will be Europe's largest hydrogen-based transit fleet, Ballard says.
In December 2011, Ballard announced an equipment supply agreement with Van Hool for 21 of the company's FCvelocity-HD6 modules for use in multiple European fleets. The company shipped 14 modules to Van Hool last year, and these units will be used in five buses in San Remo, Italy, five buses in Flanders, Belgium, and four buses in Aberdeen. Two more units will be shipped this year to Cologne, Germany.
Ballard says the latest generation of the FCvelocity-HD6 product features a control unit that interfaces with a system controller to make it a ‘plug-and-play’ product for any fuel cell or hybrid fuel cell bus platform. The newest modules also offer advances in durability, power density and fuel efficiency compared to earlier iterations, the company notes.
