Loop Energy will supply fuel cell modules to Aluminium Revolutionary Chassis Company (ARCC) in the Australian bus market.
For the first time, Loop Energy has a customer in Australia, a sign of the country’s growing interest in hydrogen-powered vehicles.
In ARCC’s 12.5-meter Viking Hydrolight city bus model, Loop Energy’s T600 (60 kW) fuel cell module will be integrated. Australia’s ARCC-designed lightweight chassis, which uses an aluminum frame and is primarily bolted, with less than 5% weld parts, will be used for this city bus. Compared to other electric buses on the market, the lighter bus weight, when combined with Loop Energy’s eFlowTM technology’s improved fuel efficiency, will reduce fuel consumption.
To help the New South Wales State Government better understand how hydrogen technologies might be integrated into a broader rollout of zero-emissions buses, ARCC has a hydrogen-electric bus participating in a trial. Underpinning its goal of becoming a major player in hydrogen by 2030, Australia launched its National Hydrogen Strategy on January 1, 2019. New South Wales and Queensland have committed to increasing Green Hydrogen production and launching more than 10,000 hydrogen-electric vehicles.
The first Fuel Cell bus is expected to be unveiled at the Australia Bus & Coach Expo in October 2022 by Loop Energy and ARCC. In addition, the two companies will work together to promote Viking Hydrolight buses as a sustainable and efficient option for transit operators in Australia and around the world.