Plug-In Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Has 6 Minute Recharge Time (Burbank, CA)

[jpak]

http://gas2.org/2008/12/20/plug-in-hydrogen-fuel-cell-bus-has-6-minute-recharge-time/

The prototype bus is being designed and manufactured by Colorado-based Proterra. It can travel 250 miles before needing to be recharged, runs at double the fuel economy of a diesel bus, and emits nothing but water vapor from its tailpipes. The bus will be officially unveiled in a spring 2009 ceremony and then go into immediate service on the BurbankBus network.

The vehicle operates in a similar fashion to other plug-in hybrids, such as the upcoming Chevy Volt, but instead of having a gas- or diesel-powered engine to extend the range of one charge, the Proterra bus uses hydrogen fuel cells. The fuel cells are fed from tanks located on the vehicle’s roof, and transform hydrogen and oxygen into water vapor and electricity to charge the batteries.

The fast charge batteries, provided by the Hydrogenics Corporation, are made of lithium titanate — and it’s simply amazing that they can be recharged in 6 minutes. By the time the bus driver finishes his soy chai latte, the bus’ll be good to go again.

With a capacity of 37 people sitting and 30 people standing — even while cutting 5 feet off the length of a typical municipal bus — this is no wanna-be bus. In a conventional bus, those 5 feet are taken up with a bulky diesel engine and assorted accouterments. Besides being 5 feet shorter, the bus also saves on weight due to construction from lightweight composites.

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