The Ballard 150 kW fuel cell power modules will be installed and integrated by Vossloh-Kiepe with hybrid electric drive systems in 18 m (60 ft) articulated Phileas buses manufactured by APTS, part of the VDL Group. Since the Ballard fuel cell stacks and subsystem components are optimized within the power module, they can be more readily integrated with the bus hybrid electric drive system.
Phileas is a new concept for passenger transport on high-frequency, dedicated bus lanes. When running in a free bus lane and equipped with magnetic markers for electronic lane assistance and precision docking, Phileas buses can offer the advantages of rapid rail transport.
The Ballard FCvelocity-HD6 power module is a ‘plug-and-play’ fuel cell based product that enables system integrators to build clean energy buses more easily and at lower cost. These proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power modules incorporate subsystem components to address humidification, hydrogen pressure regulation, hydrogen recirculation, water management, ventilation, and controls.
‘The deployment of our FCvelocity-HD6 power modules with APTS and other customers such as BC Transit and Transport for London mean that fuel cell based power solutions are gaining real traction in the global mass transit marketplace, delivering GHG (greenhouse gas) reductions and energy conservation benefits,’ says Michael Goldstein, Chief Commercial Officer at Ballard.
All the Ballard fuel cell power modules will be shipped to APTS by the second quarter of 2010, and the first APTS Phileas bus incorporating a Ballard fuel cell power module will be produced this year.
Two Phileas buses powered by Ballard fuel cell modules will operate in Cologne, Germany and two in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. APTS currently has 70 Phileas buses in operation worldwide.
‘We are certainly pleased to be working with Ballard on our Phileas buses,’ comments APTS Director, Ruud Bouwman. ‘APTS sees a sizable potential European market for this fuel cell ‘tram on tires’ concept, with each fuel cell bus reducing CO2 emissions up to 155 tonnes per year.’
The participation of Ballard in demonstration programs through five generations of heavy duty fuel cell power modules has yielded over 2 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) of actual revenue service, transporting more than seven million passengers on buses in various locations around the world.
The Ballard FCvelocity-HD6 next-generation heavy duty fuel cell power module delivers enhanced fuel cell durability and improved efficiency at a reduced cost, while offering an industry-leading 12 000 hour (5 year) warranty.