U.S. Hybrid, a division of Ideanomics, joined a team to create hydrogen fuel cell electric shuttle buses under the direction of A-1 Alternative Fuel Systems.
Partners in the consortium will create a low-floor bus based on the Ford F-53 chassis and a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric bus based on the Ford E-450 chassis with financial assistance from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and SoCalGas.
At locations in Wisconsin and Indiana, the paratransit buses will be created in the United States. The fuel cell and the EV propulsion technology will be supplied by US Hybrid. The on-vehicle hydrogen fuel delivery and storage devices will be supplied by A-1 Alternative Fuel Systems. Luxfer Gas Cylinders Type-3 hydrogen tanks made of contemporary materials, graded and suitable for usage at 120 degrees Celsius, will be installed in the fuel systems of A-1. The buses will undergo EPA and CARB certification as well as ALTOONA testing.
Once finished, a California public transit organization will operate the two hydrogen-powered buses for a 12-month demonstration period. The buses will be commercially available for purchase from A-1 Alternative Fuel System’s nationwide bus dealer network in the second half of 2023 when the demonstration is finished.
In operation worldwide are more than 4,100 fuel-cell electric buses, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Over the past ten years, many of these buses entered service as early-stage demonstration vehicles. Since then, investments have been made to increase the infrastructure for hydrogen fueling, and the cost to construct and run a fuel cell electric bus has dramatically decreased.
