European fuel cell ‘revolution’ begins on buses
Public transport authorities in Spain have just taken delivery of their first zero-emission Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell engine bus, as part of the European Fuel Cell Bus Project.
This is the first of 30 buses with 205 kW Ballard fuel cell engines, from Canada’s Ballard Power Systems in conjunction with DaimlerChrysler, due to arrive in ten cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Porto, Rekjavik, Stockholm and Stuttgart – during the next year.
Ballard’s boss, Dennis Campbell, has dubbed this event: “The start of the fuel cell and hydrogen revolution in Europe”.
“Thousands of people all across Europe will have the opportunity to experience first-hand, the clean, quiet and comfortable ride of these zero-emission buses.”
Each city is taking part in a two-year field trial in which regular bus drivers will use the fuel cell vehicles for carrying passengers around their city. To support the project, Ballard has opened a fuel cell engine training lab in Canada, where representatives of the agencies that will be running
the buses can receive several weeks’ training.
Ballard’s fuel cells use proton exchange membrane technology to generate electricity from the energy produced when hydrogen fuel is combined with oxygen from the air.
No combustion takes place, and water and heat are the only by-products, making this a very clean means of generating power. The fuel cell does not need ‘recharging’ like a battery, but rather operates as long as the fuel is supplied.
Although hydrogen is considered the primary fuel source for fuel cells, the process of fuel reforming allows for the extraction of hydrogen from other fuels including methanol, natural gas, petroleum, or renewable sources, Ballard Power explains.
To fuel the 30 buses around Europe’s cities, ten hydrogen refueling stations will be established, each producing hydrogen using a unique process, to showcase what Mr Campbell terms “the diversity of solutions available for the production and delivery of hydrogen fuel”.
But the argument for the pursuit of hydrogen as a ‘clean’ fuel, is hindered by its production processes. While the gas is abundant, present in the water that covers three quarters of the Earth, splitting from it molecular bonds with oxygen requires electricity. If this is generated from fossil fuels it rather defeats the object of the exercise.
There is work on alternative separation processes, with Iceland harnessing its generous hydro and geothermal resources to power the splitting process. Biotechnology also offers hope, with talk of the development of hydrogen-producing microbes.
