Eleven NHA Members Selected for $43.5 Million in Hydrogen Bus Program Awards

Press Release from National Hydrogen Association

October 26, 2006 Designed in partnership with Van Hool, UTC Power, and ISE Corporation, AC Transit's fuel cell bus represents the most advanced, fuel-efficient, zero-emission, hybrid-electric, hydrogen fuel cell bus in the world.

Thousand Palms, CA Eleven member companies of the National Hydrogen Association are on teams receiving portions of $43.5 million in awards from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) in support of a program to make ten percent of all bus purchases in the US hydrogen fuel cell buses by 2015. The program represents a large step in the development of a zero-emissions public transportation system

"While national and international hydrogen attention is largely focused on transforming the personal vehicle, much of the public is likely to first experience quiet, zero-emission, fuel cell buses."
--NHA President Jeff Serfass.

"While national and international hydrogen attention is largely focused on transforming the personal vehicle, much of the public is likely to first experience quiet, zero-emission, fuel cell buses," said NHA President Jeff Serfass. "We are very proud that so many of our members are leading the way in implementing the use of hydrogen in the public transportation market."

The NHA members include Ballard Power Systems, Daimler-Chrysler, GE Research, Hydrogenics, ISE Corporation, New York Power Authority (NYPA), Nuvera Fuel Cells, Shell Hydrogen, South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), University of South Carolina (USC), and UTC Power. In addition NHA Affiliate, Weststart/CALSTART, was selected by the FTA to receive a share of the funding.

The new FTA program was championed by Congressman Jim Obestar (D-MN) and Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA), who joined FTA Administrator James Simpson in announcing the federal grants. The grants were made possible as part of the Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU).

"The expansion and use of fuel cell and hydrogen technology is a necessary and innovative step to significantly reduce dependency on foreign oil," remarked Representative Bono during the announcement. "Americans and Congress must continue to support legislation that strengthens any efforts to diversify our nation's energy portfolio."

The individual projects represent a wide variety of fuel cell bus research and demonstration projects in Alabama, South Carolina, Connecticut, Washington DC, and California. NHA members Ballard, ISE Corp, Shell Hydrogen, and UTC Power have teamed with the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority which was granted $8.4 Million for advanced bus development and in-service evaluation of hybrid fuel cell buses. USC and SCRA have a $5.67 million project that will bring the first fuel cell bus to South Carolina in time for the NHA's Annual Hydrogen Conference which in 2009 will be held in Columbia, SC. Other NHA member projects include GE and NYPA's lightweight fuel cell hybrid bus; a fuel cell bus fleet in Massachucetts with Nuvera Fuel Cells; DaimlerChrylser's and Hydrogenics' compound fuel cell hybrid bus in San Francisco; and an ISE Corp/ UTC Power collaboration which will design and demonstrate a 40-foot fuel cell bus for use in hot desert climates.