Clean Fleet Report » Government

USPS may buy 20,000 Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

John Addison — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:12:45 +0000

By John Addison (2/15/10)

Most of the 220,000 U.S. Postal Service vehicles only travel 20 to 25 miles per day making them a good match with the range of an electric vehicle. Hundreds of stops make hybrids and electrics ideal for capturing braking energy and regenerating the batteries.

Instead most USPS vehicles run on gasoline, increasing our nation’s dependency on oil. The popular mid-sized delivery vans achieve about 10 mpg. The 40,000 that sometimes run on E85 ethanol do worse. The Postal Service generates over 5 million tons of CO2 per year, only 12 percent of that is from its 220,000 on-road vehicles.

A Winton electric automobile was first used by the Postal Service in 1899. It only took an hour-and-a-half to collect mail from 40 boxes, less than half the time it took the horse-powered wagon. Over the years, USPS has used a variety of hybrid and electric vehicles.

No one type of vehicle meets all delivery needs. Jets and long-haul trucks move mail across the nation and around the world. Many delivery routes demand larger delivery vans. Others are best served by smaller and lighter vehicles.

Mail is being delivered on a trial basis by three-wheel electric vehicles in Florida, California and Arizona. The T3 has a range of 40 miles, a maximum speed of 12 mph and a load capacity of 450 pounds. Powered by two rechargeable power modules, the T3 has zero gas emissions and costs 4 cents a mile to operate.

The Postal Service is testing a fourth generation fuel-cell Chevrolet Equinox. The crossover vehicle has an electric drive system, lithium batteries, and a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle to keep delivering electrons for extended range. When I visit my alma mater in Irvine, I see the Equinox used to deliver mail. The Irvine hydrogen station is used by the University, corporations, the USMC, and early personal drivers of the Honda FCX Clarity. A second fuel-cell vehicle is being tested in Washington, DC.

In New York City, the Postal Service has had 30 electric 2-ton vehicles on the street since 2001. They were recently joined in Long Island, NY, by two 2-ton hybrid electric vehicles.

The USPS uses medium-duty hybrid electric vans from Eaton Corporation (ETN) and Azure Dynamics (AZD.TO). They join the 10 existing Hybrid-Electric Ford Escape vehicles currently in the fleet.

USPS had ordered 185 Chrysler plug-in hybrid vans, but new Chrysler executives have cancelled the ENVI electric and plug-in vehicles. The electric vehicle manufacturing was cancelled even though that was part of Chrysler’s argument that it needed $20 billion of loans from the taxpayers.

Quantum (QTWW) announced on February 1 that it was selected by the US Postal Service (USPS) to produce an advanced electric postal delivery vehicle based on the widely used Long Life Vehicle (LLV) platform. Quantum is also making the hybrid-electric drive system for Fisker.

Quantum was competitively selected, along with 4 other companies, for participation in a 1 year demonstration and validation program to be conducted by the USPS for the use of electrification of the 178,000 LLV segment of the postal delivery fleet, the largest civilian fleet in the country.

The short range mail routes with numerous stops make postal delivery vehicles an ideal application for a battery electric vehicle with regenerative braking features. Under this program, Quantum will integrate its Quantum Quiet™ high efficiency battery electric drive system, into a Grumman LLV, and optimize for the 500 to 700 stops per day use of a postal delivery vehicle. UQM has received from Quantum an electric-motor and propulsion system order for the USPS electric drive system.

A bill is now being debated in Congress, HR 4399: American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act, that would enable the USPS to have 18,000 hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles as part of its fleet, plus at least 2,000 pure battery electric vehicles. The bill would reduce the need for dirty peaking power plants by accelerating the use of smart grid and vehicle-to-grid. The bill calls for 3,600 charging stations. The bill priorities buying of American made vehicles with American made advanced batteries. Recycling and reuse of the batteries is part of the proposed legislation. The bill calls for $2 billion of estimated spending, investment, and research.

The USPS has demonstrated zero-emission leadership for over 100 years. In sun and darkness, rain and snow, carriers walk billions of miles delivering mail and packages.

USPS may buy 20,000 Hybrid and Electric Vehicles is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Car Sharing Competition: Hertz and Enterprise Chase Zipcar

John Addison — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:44:14 +0000

Connect by Hertz offers Prius by the Hour

By John Addison. New car sharing programs allow two or more people to need only one car. Each shared vehicle results in 6 to 23 cars not being owned. Once someone joins a car share program, they cut their vehicle miles traveled up to 80 percent. Introduced first in Europe, car sharing is now growing in the United States with over 200 car share programs operating in over 600 cities.

Zipcar is the leader in car sharing with over 260,000 members. Car sharing is popular with individuals who live car free in a city, with couples who share one car, with university students and staff, and with corporate fleet and travel managers.

Zipcar makes car sharing easy. After a simple enrollment a member is issued a Zipcard. Members reserve a car online or on the phone. At the appropriate hour, they go to their designated car, parked in one of many lots in the city. A Zipcard is used to enter the vehicle and drive until returned to the reserved parking space. A variety of vehicles are available in their program from hybrids to SUVs.

Hertz, as the largest international rental car company, has entered the car sharing market by launching the Connect by Hertz car sharing club, with neighborhood parking in London, New York City and Paris. Hertz plans to expand into additional cities, as well as universities, in 2009. As Hertz expands, it can leverage its established presence in 8,100 locations in 144 countries worldwide.

Membership in Connect by Hertz includes insurance, fuel, roadside assistance, maintenance and cleaning. Connect by Hertz members enjoy a paperless program where they can reserve, drive and return vehicles all on their own, via the internet or phone. “Connect by Hertz supports Hertz’s diversified business model by providing best-in-class transportation solutions across the spectrum of customer needs,” commented Mark P. Frissora, Chairman and CEO of The Hertz Corporation. “In addition to being environmentally friendly, Connect by Hertz cars can save members thousands of dollars a year in vehicle ownership costs and, by leveraging Hertz’s established infrastructure, we’re the first major car rental company to be able to offer members the first global car sharing program.”

The showcase car of the Connect by Hertz fleet in the United States is the Toyota Prius. The fuel emissions of the London and Paris cars are significantly less than the voluntary target of a maximum 140 g/km CO2 output set by the EU.

To unlock and engage the Hertz vehicle, members simply swipe their membership card, the Connect card, over the car’s radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader. In car, a hands-free audio kit connects members to a Member Care Center representative should they have questions, need assistance or need to extend their rental. The in-car technology also enables Connect by Hertz to ‘communicate’ with the vehicle enabling representatives to unlock, engage and locate vehicles. The technologically savvy cars are also equipped with iPod connectivity and, in the US, NeverLost® in-car navigation systems and EZ Pass transponders.

Hertz may prove to be tough competition in market segments where it is already strong, such as corporate and fleet programs. Enterprise and Zipcar are starting to compete in these areas. Jeff Parell, senior vice president, Enterprise, emphasized, “Our WeCar program can be customized to fit the unique needs of any of our partners, including businesses, government agencies, and universities. So, it gives employees or students the flexibility to attend off-site business meetings, visit customers or vendors…”

Brendan Lange personally lives car free, but is enthusiastic about Zipcar for Business. Brendan’s firm coordinates major corporate events and meetings. Brendan’s job is to help clients make the events greener with the best selection of venues, food, beverage, and other choices. Through Zipcar the firm can use different types of vehicles by the hour to match varied needs: little cars for errands, small SUVs for hauling stuff, and upscale four-door sedans for taking clients on tours of potential event sites.

San Francisco claims to be the most successful city in car sharing. Although Hertz has not entered the S.F. car share market, Zipcar has strong competition from City CarShare, a nonprofit with a diverse fleet that includes cars that can fit in city parking spaces too small for many vehicles including Volkswagen Beetles, Mini Coopers, and Smart cars. City CarShare has more than 6,000 members in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. “Two-thirds of our members either sell a car or don’t buy a car,” said CEO Rick Hutchinson.

United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated, “I’m proud to be a long-time supporter of City CarShare and I applaud their members for saving more than 1 million gallons of gas over the last five years.”

Car sharing is destined to grow and attract growing competition.

Car Sharing Competition: Hertz and Enterprise Chase Zipcar is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Heavy-Duty Vehicle Trends for 2008

John Addison — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:01:54 +0000

(Updated 8/4/09; Original 2/8/08). Most oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are not from passenger vehicles; they are from the heavy-duty vehicles, ships, and planes that move all our goods, serve public transit, and provide the infrastructure that keeps cities running. Heavy-duty operators have often been years ahead of passenger vehicle owners in using advanced technology to do more with less fuel.

Hybrids. FedEx has 264 hybrid delivery vehicles that take full advantage of regenerative braking and other hybrid features. The FedEx hybrid-electric fleet has logged more than four million miles of revenue service since being introduced in 2004, reducing fuel use by 150,000 gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 1,521 metric tons.

Plug-in Hybrids. PG&E is one of 14 utilities in the nation participating in the pilot truck program, sponsored by WestStart‘s Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), a hybrid commercialization project bringing together truck fleet users, truck makers, technology companies, and the U.S. military, to field-test utility trucks with an integrated hybrid power-train solution.

This new Class 6/7 hybrid truck is built by International incorporating the Eaton (ETN) hybrid drive system with a 44kW electric motor. Eaton has produced more than 220 drive systems for medium and heavy hybrid-powered vehicles. Vehicle configurations include package delivery vans, medium-duty delivery trucks, beverage haulers, city buses and utility repair trucks – each of which has generated significant fuel economy gains and emission reductions. Fleet customers for Eaton hybrid power have included FedEx Express, UPS, Coca-Cola Enterprises, The Pepsi Bottling Group, and the 14 public utility fleets into which were placed 24 hybrid-powered repair trucks.

Idle-off. In many heavy-duty fleets, engines idle 40% of the time at stops for many auxiliary needs including air conditioning, heating, running electronics inside the cab and more. These auxiliary functions can now be powered with the batteries in hybrid powertrains, with auxiliary power units such as fuel cells, and with truck-stop electrification. Heavy-vehicles can now be programmed to automatically idle-off after a prescribed amount of stop time, such as California’s five-minute law. Idle-off is possible by GPS location, such as specific bus stops. Wal-Mart alone estimates savings of $25 million with idle-off and APUs for its 7,000 trucks. Transit operators save millions of gallons of fuel and keep passengers happy with electronic air conditioning without diesel fumes.

Natural Gas. There are about five million natural gas vehicles in operation globally. These vehicles consume 238 million gasoline gallon equivalents. That amount has doubled in only five years. CNG vehicles are popular in fleets that carry lots of people: buses, shuttles and taxis. Natural gas fleets are likely to double again in the next five years. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMTA) serves over ten million people with the nation’s largest natural gas fleet, comprised of over 2,000 CNG buses. A growing number of riders enjoy higher-speed service with LAMTA’s bus rapid transit.

To help clear Southern California air, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach established a $1.6 billion Clean Truck Superfund to purchase 5,300 alt-fuel trucks by 2010 out of a total fleet of 16,800 Class 8 trucks. All are likely to be Westport LNG systems installed in Kenworth T800 trucks.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Many passenger cars have the potential to meet all driver needs by plugging in for a nightly recharge of batteries in electric vehicles. Buses running 16 hours daily and climbing 12% grades can also be electric, but most need the added electricity provided by hydrogen fuel cells. Over 3,000,000 people have ridden these vehicles in Europe and the U.S.

Energy Security. The Army’s NAC is pursuing hybrid truck technology to significantly reduce the Army’s fuel consumption and logistics needs, to provide field-generation of power and to provide quiet, stealth operations. The U.S. Army has a fleet of over 246,000 vehicles with a goal to reduce fuel consumption by 75% by 2010.

Green Supply Chains. ConAgra has contracted with Nova Biosource Fuels to convert food processing waste into biofuel, greatly helping with waste regulations. This provides Nova Biosource Fuels with a low-cost feedstock for high-quality biodiesel. ConAgra has guaranteed the purchase of 130 million gallons per year. California-based State Logistics, has grown its business by providing more-sustainable shipping options for companies like Clif Bar. Prologis will only build USGBC LEED certified distribution centers.

On February 20, fleet managers, vehicle technology leaders, government leaders, other experts and stakeholders will gather in San Diego to discuss their success in all of these areas at the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Conference 2008.

“Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle 2008 highlights the vehicles and fuels that will actually cut our greenhouse gases and reduce our dependence on oil,” said John Boesel, President and CEO of WestStart-CALSTART, a leader in spurring green tech in transportation. “The conference brings together the key business and political leaders helping bridge the technological and financial gaps to bring clean transportation solutions to market.”

Stay tuned for more exciting progress in 2008.

John Addison publishes the Clean Fleet Report.

Heavy-Duty Vehicle Trends for 2008 is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

USMC Leadership with EVs, Biofuel and Hydrogen

John Addison — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 08:01:39 +0000

The United States Marine Corp (USMC), like all branches of the Department of Defense (DoD), is exploring the use of hydrogen and other forms of clean transportation. One major motivation is that the fuel which runs U.S. Defense operations comes from oil. That oil is increasingly controlled by countries that have declared their animosity to the United States. If military fuel is controlled by the enemy, then our ability to defend this country is crippled.

World War II provides a valuable history lesson. On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. The United States entered World War II. It quickly became apparent that worldwide natural rubber supplies were limited, and by mid-1942 most of the rubber-producing regions were under Japanese control. Military trucks needed rubber for tires, and rubber was used in almost every other war machine.

In 1942, synthetic rubber was considered too expensive for wide usage just as hydrogen is now considered too expensive. The US government launched a major effort to increase synthetic rubber production. By 1944, a total of 50 factories were manufacturing it, pouring out a volume of the material twice that of the world’s natural rubber production before the beginning of the war.

Now at Pearl Harbor, history is in a sense repeating itself. Hickam Air Force Base is putting into service a hydrogen fuel cell bus and a hydrogen fuel cell van. This hydrogen is sourced from U.S. natural gas reformed with steam. This hydrogen and other uses of alt-fuels are steps towards energy independence.

Leading suppliers of oil to the USA include Iraq and two countries that it boarders, Saudi Arabia and Iran. If we were shut-off from oil from those three countries, our economy would suffer more than in the great depression. Also, without their oil, U.S. military defense would be crippled. In 1990, Saddam Hussein asked OPEC to raise oil prices. He needed the money to recover billions lost in a protracted war with Iran. OPEC refused. Soon, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait with 120,000 troops and 2,000 tanks and seized its oil. Then Iraqi troops began to mass along the Saudi border, breaching it at some points, and indicating the possibility that Hussein’s forces would continue south into Saudi Arabia’s oil fields.

Regarding Iraq’s actions as a threat to a vital interest of the US, namely the oil production capability of the Persian Gulf region, President George Bush ordered warplanes and ground forces to Saudi Arabia. Operation Desert Shield, the US military deployment to first defend Saudi Arabia grew rapidly to become the largest American deployment since Vietnam. Years of subsequent embargo of Iraq have raised oil prices as the USA went to other nations for oil. 1990 Desert Shield and the current 2006 Iraq War demonstrate the need for energy independence.

Energy independence is a key objective of the U.S. military. Military vehicles can broadly be classified as either tactical or commercial. Tactical includes all the vehicles that are deployed in war and expeditionary environments including humvees, tanks, amphibious vehicles and helicopters. Commercial vehicles handle much of the transportation and goods movement here in the USA. DoD is taking major steps towards energy independence with commercial vehicles

An obstacle to being free of dependence on foreign oil is that all tactical vehicles have been required to use an oil-derived jet fuel JP-8. In some ways, the use of this single fuel simplifies logistics. But using JP-8 creates serious problems. Consider this irony. Fuel from oil constitutes 70% of the U.S. military’s total weight that must be transported into battle for transportation and stationary power. Our battles are increasingly about the oil that is converted into that fuel. We now have an opportunity to transition to hydrogen that is lighter to transport, does not make us vulnerable to foreign suppliers, and is not a cause of war.

In California, U.S. Marine Corp Camp Pendleton, as part of the Department of the Navy, demonstrates the shift to using less oil. I recently spent over two hours at Camp Pendleton with Gary Funk, Regional Fleet Manager for Marine Corps West. Camp Pendleton follows the EPAC objective that 75% of commercial garrison mobile equipment purchases will be alt-fuel. With long-term buying contracts and five-year planning cycles, 75% will not happen overnight, but the shift to clean vehicles is taking place. At Camp Pendleton, there are over 320 electric vehicles (EV). Over 200 are electric scooters. 120 are GEMs, the 25 mph DaimlerChrysler vehicle. The EVs use an 8 station charger that is solar powered, providing zero-emissions from source to wheels.

Camp Pendleton also uses hundreds of CNG vehicles. Camp Pendleton is the nation’s largest buyer of biodiesel with annual purchasing of over one million gallons of B20. These one million gallons from virgin soy is a million less gallons of diesel from oil. The use of B20 has been relatively problem free. Some commercial vehicles, such as buses, have fewer problems with B20 than JP-8.

Camp Pendleton had also been proactive in buying flex-fuel vehicles that can use E85 ethanol. This would be another step towards energy independence with the ethanol being processed from corn and blended with only 15% gasoline. Unfortunately, ethanol can produce more smog pollution. Flex-fuel engines from GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler all failed to meet CARB vapor recovery requirements. There was also a severe shortage of E85 in California, due to lack of local production. Camp Pendleton is releasing 200 of its flex-fuel vehicles to other states and running pure gasoline in the remaining vehicles.

The Marine Corp is also starting to demonstrate hydrogen vehicles. Camp Pendleton received the nation’s first GM Equinox. GM is currently putting 100 hydrogen fuel cell Equinoxes on the road. Recently, I drove this exciting vehicle on surface streets and on the freeway. It is a powerful car that many would want to own. It has a range of 180 miles at 10,000 psi. The R&D people at GM have an exciting vision that includes advanced batteries; regenerative braking; a thin “skateboard” platform common to multiple vehicles; drive-by-wire replacement of mechanical links to pedals and steering wheel; and electric motors. GM plans to start selling a next generation fuel cell vehicle by 2011 based on the E-flex platform..

Camp Pendleton plans to officially open the hydrogen station in Spring 2007. Camp Pendleton will produce its hydrogen from natural gas using a Ztek reformer that produces 30 kg/day that will replace trucked-in hydrogen in temporary storage. Initially, there will be 60 kg of hydrogen storage. The fueling station will be 5,000 psi. The fuel station is easily accessible from the I-5 freeway, using the Harbor Drive exit. To encourage shared usage, the station is deliberately located outside the guarded Camp Pendleton. The nearest 10,000 psi station is in Irvine.

Thanks to Camp Pendleton’s leadership another hydrogen station is being built near the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego. There hydrogen will be produced by solar electrolysis allowing vehicles to travel with zero emissions on a source-to-wheels basis.

The first hydrogen station was not easy to get approved. The station has been delayed for one year because a full environmental study was commissioned and delivered. The site was determined to be safe. One Marine Colonel felt that a terrorist (or a Marine with a terrible aim) could shoot it with a large shell and cause a massive explosion. An explosion was determined to be unlikely. Because hydrogen is eight times lighter than air, and because the station is in the open air, if the hydrogen storage were punctured, the hydrogen would vent into the sky.

The Hindenburg zeppelin disaster of 1937 balloon explosion was sited. One-third of the passengers died, mostly by jumping, when the massive balloon caught fire. The deaths were blamed on hydrogen. Now we know that if there had been a hydrogen explosion, there would have been no survivors. Likely, it was the cellulose acetate butyrate balloon coating that caught fire. In fact, hydrogen is safer than the JP-8 fuel used by the military.

Limited access to other safety-certified hydrogen vehicles will also be provided. This will make it easier for nearby cities such as Oceanside and San Clemente to add hydrogen vehicles to their city fleets. Both cities are considering demonstrating zero-emission vehicles.

A large maintenance building is near the fueling station. Vehicle manufacturers are encouraged to lease offices are use this as a development and demonstration center much like the CaFCP in West Sacramento. In the future, other hydrogen vehicles, such as cars and SUVs are likely to be deployed at Camp Pendleton. There is strong interest in a hydrogen shuttle or bus. Camp Pendleton also plans to demonstrate a 10kW fuel cell for stationary power.

Beyond just commercial vehicles, Camp Pendleton will demonstrate a tactical vehicle – a tow truck. The Army is also experimenting with a number of hydrogen tactical vehicles, such as the humvee. Although DoD is reluctant to send vehicles into battle using a second fuel a transition from JP-8 is necessary. Hydrogen vehicles promise to increase mission endurance, increase stealth with near silent running, and reduce weight and therefore logistical burden. The cost of air and ground transport of the heavy JP-8, and defending battlefield transport and storage, makes the cost in the hundreds per gallon. Hydrogen is less expensive. It can be electrolyzed on location from water. It can be reformed from local captured fuels. In the short-term, the military’s preference is likely to reform it from JP-8.

Hydrogen fuel cells can also be used in heavy vehicles to provide auxiliary power. Many vehicles idle up to 40% of the time. Because fuel cells generate electricity, hydrogen vehicles can be clustered together in a mini-grid to provide all power for a forward camp.

DoD is serious about energy independence. In 2012, hydrogen vehicles are expected to be standard on the GSA buying schedule.

Will the USA achieve energy independence with electric vehicles and alt-fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, CNG and hydrogen? The success at Camp Pendleton provides a reason to be optimistic.

USMC Leadership with EVs, Biofuel and Hydrogen is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

FTA Accelerates Hydrogen Bus Development

John Addison — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 08:01:53 +0000

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $49 million in new funding for hydrogen fuel cell buses. Congress established the National Fuel Cell Bus Technology Development Program in 2005 to facilitate development of commercially viable fuel cell bus technology. Pictured above are Mikel Oglesby, General Manager for SunLine Transit, U.S. Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA), a key sponsor of the bill, and James Simpson, the Bush administration’s top transit official, pictured in front of a SunLine hydrogen fuel cell bus.

The FTA goal is to have hydrogen fuel cell buses represent 10 percent of new U.S. transit bus purchases in the year 2015. These exciting awards include a new generation of fuel cells, hybrid electric propulsion, auxiliary power, and lighter aerodynamic bus designs.

$12 million in funding for several major advanced fuel cell bus projects was awarded to CALSTART, North America’s leading advanced transportation organization. The projects will expand upon existing fuel cell bus demonstration programs at AC Transit in Oakland and at SunLine Transit in the Coachella Valley, and introduce a new program for Muni in San Francisco.

The funding complements California’s new Zero Emission Bus regulation which will require over 1,000 hydrogen buses by 2020. Should California Proposition 87 be voted into law on November 7, there may be significant added hydrogen funding.

UTC Power will provide the fuel cells for the SunLine and AC Transit buses with ISE Corporation integrating the fuel cells into their hybrid propulsion systems. The hybrid design currently enables four hydrogen fuel cell buses at these transit operators to use only 120kW UTC fuel cells, yet outperform similar fuel cell buses with more expensive 200kW fuel cell systems.

SunLine currently operates both hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen internal combustion engine buses. As part of the CALSTART program, New Flyer and ISE will also develop a new hybrid hydrogen fuel cell bus for Sunline, designed for reliable air conditioned operation in extreme desert heat conditions.

Serving the nation’s capital is Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA). They will be deploying two different advanced hydrogen fuel cell bus programs that will put six New Flyer 40-foot buses into service. In a $6,120,000 program, ISE will integrate a next generation Ballard 180 kW automotive fuel cell technology (HD6) with the ISE ThunderVolt® hybrid drive system into two New Flyer buses. Either ultracapacitors or batteries will be used.

A second $8.35 million WMATA project was awarded to the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium (NAVC). UTC Power will provide its PureMotion(TM) 120 fuel cell power system for four zero-emission fuel cell hybrid electric buses that will be operated in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. UTC Power has been supplying fuel cell bus power plants since 1998 for programs in Washington, D.C., California, Spain and Italy and recently announced orders for Connecticut and Belgium.

On diesel buses, excessive fuel is used to run accessories and air conditioning. Drivers often keep buses idling at stops, rather than turn-off heat in the winter and air in the summer. Long-distance trucks often idle their engines 40% of the time to run accessories.

To run accessories electrically, the FTA is providing $5.35 million for the development of a hybrid electric-diesel bus that uses a hydrogen fuel cell for auxiliary power. San Francisco Municipal Railways (SF Muni) was selected due to their success with 56 hybrid electric buses running on the steepest grades in the nation. A Hydrogenics 12KW twin or 16 KW fuel cell, BAE drive, electrically driven accessories, and advanced energy storage will be used. BAE Systems will provide the hybrid propulsion system and do the systems integration. Accessories to be electrified include: air conditioning, power steering, air compressor, cooling pumps and fans, and heaters for cold climates.

SF Muni’s hydrogen implementation is important for a number of reasons. Muni has the nation’s largest fleet of zero-emission buses, currently using overhead trolley electrification. This infrastructure is expensive to maintain, raises safety concerns, and lacks routing flexibility. Muni’s 2006-2025 Plan includes a Clean Air Plan with the “Zero Emissions 2020” goal of a 100% zero emission fleet by the year 2020. This strategy includes replacing diesel buses with electric drive vehicles.

Muni’s Fleet Engineering Manager, Marty Mellera, sees a major potential for hydrogen in the “Zero Emissions 2020” Plan. Muni’s fleet currently totals 1,045 bus, trolley and light-rail cars.

General Electric Co. formed a $13 million research partnership with the FTA, Ballard Power Systems and A123 Systems to develop a lightweight, battery-dominant hybrid fuel cell bus for the New York Port Authority (NYPA). GE Research will integrate Ballard’s 90kW version of the HD6 module. Because batteries are less expensive than fuel cells, battery-dominant fuel cell designs can lower total capital and operating costs. Either ultracapacitors or Lithium-ion batteries will be used.

It is expected that the GE hybrid fuel cell bus will have a range of 200 miles with accessories operating, and an improved fuel cell life and cost. The focus of the research partnership will be to reduce fuel cell power requirements and improve energy storage technologies, which would help to increase the commercial viability of the technology.

The research will be led by GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna. “Advancements in hybrid propulsion systems and battery chemistry offer tremendous promise for enabling cleaner, more affordable transportation alternatives that will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote a cleaner, healthier environment,” said Mark Little, director of GE Global Research. Since launching its “ecoimagination” initiative in May 2005, GE has pledged to more than double its level of investment in the development of cleaner energy technologies, from $700 million to $1.5 billion during the next five years.

Hybrid fuel cell buses are currently delivering double the fuel economy of diesel buses. A way to further improve the fuel economy and lower the size of the needed fuel cell is to make the buses lighter and more aerodynamic. Leading the way is Mobile Energy Solutions of Colorado, with buses built from a composite material. The buses will receive one-third of its power from batteries and the remainder from the fuel cells.

Their 37-passenger 35-foot bus, will be demonstrated at Columbia, South Carolina, Birmingham, Alabama, Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut. The energy system has yet to be finalized. It is expected to be battery-dominate with a 32kW Hydrogenics fuel cell. Mobile Energy estimates costs to operate the bus at about 42 cents per mile, compared with 69 cents for a conventional diesel-powered bus. $5.67 million to a 16-member development team for the project through the Center for Transportation and Environment in Atlanta. The total price tag on the hybrid-electric fuel-cell bus project is $13.1 million.

Nuvera Fuel Cells through the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium (NAVC) was awarded a $4.875 million grant from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) for a hydrogen fuel cell bus and refueling demonstration project at Logan International Airport. Nuvera will be providing one 82 kW fuel cell power module, which will be integrated into a Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) shuttle bus. Additionally, Nuvera is providing a Powertap(TM) hydrogen generation system to provide an on-site hydrogen infrastructure to the fuel cell bus. Other partners in this project include Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), ISE Corporation, Keyspan and AVSG.

Over four million people have been riders on hydrogen buses. Public transit reduces road congestion, saves fuel and emissions by transporting hundreds of millions daily. Public transit brings wide exposure to clean transportation. Public transit is an excellent early adopter of hydrogen because it does not depend on a widespread fuel infrastructure and the fuel storage cylinders can be placed on the roof of buses. Hydrogen buses accelerate the development of fueling stations. Larger capacity production and fueling takes place because these buses use 30 to 50 kg/day of hydrogen. Public transit is accelerating our transition to clean transportation.

FTA Accelerates Hydrogen Bus Development is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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