Cities speeding up the integration of hydrogen buses in public fleets

High V.LO-City
Framework Programme: 
FP7
Call for proposals: 
2010
Application area: 
Transport and refuelling infrastructure
Project Pillar: 
Transport

Several European bus manufacturers consider the hybrid fuel cell (FCH) bus as the most promising technology to facilitate the decarbonisation of public transport. By leveraging the experiences of past fuel cell bus projects, implementing technical improvements that increase efficiency and reduce costs of FCH buses, as well as introducing a modular approach to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure build-up, the High V(Flanders).L(Liguria) O(ScOtland)-City project aims at significantly increasing the “velocity” of integrating these buses on a larger scale in European bus operations.
• The project will address the following key issues: Increase energy efficiency of the buses and reduce cost of ownership:
o hydrogen consumption down to 7–9 kg H2/100km
o integrating latest drive train and battery technologies
o availability of 90% without the need of permanent support
o >12.000 hours warranty and decreased additional warranty cost
o increase lifetime of key components as fuel cells and batteries.
o investment cost <1,3 million euro
• Reduce the cost of hydrogen supply:
o Liguria: linking with renewable hydrogen sources
o Antwerp: using by-product hydrogen from industry
o Aberdeen: making use of an existing hydrogen production and distribution mechanisms and eventually Scotland’s extensive wind energy resources
• Consolidate past, current and future fuel cell bus demonstration activities by creating an active dissemination network of Hydrogen Bus Centres of Excellence in collaboration with the Hydrogen Bus Alliance, Global Hydrogen Bus Platform, CHIC Dissemination task force and JTI hydrogen bus demonstration projects. More specifically High V.LO City will:
o Building on the experience of Van Hool the USA (21 buses 2005-2010) and Oslo (5 buses 2011)
o Link Liguria, Antwerp, and Aberdeen, with already existing activities in United Kingdom (London), the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Arnhem), Germany (Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona) and Italy (Bolzano and Milano).

Project reference: 
278192
Topic: 
SP1-JTI-FCH.2010.1.1 - Large-scale demonstration of road vehicles and refuelling infrastructure III
Project type: 
Demonstration
Contract type: 
Collaborative Project
Start date: 
Sunday, January 1, 2012
End date: 
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Duration: 
60 months (originally), extended to 84 months, then 96 months
Project cost: 
€ 29,243,442.40
Project funding: 
€ 13,491,724
Coordinator: 

VAN HOOL N.V., Belgium

Contact: 
Paul Jenné – Transit Bus Project Manager
Contact email: 
Other participating organisations: 
Participants Country
VAN HOOL N.V. Belgium
Riviera Trasport SpA Italy
Dantherm Power AS Denmark
(Solvay SA) until 31/12/2016 Belgium
Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij - De Lijn Belgium
WaterstofNet vzw Belgium
HyER Belgium
University degli Studi di Genova Italy
Regione Liguria Italy
FIT Consulting srl Italy
Aberdeen City Council United Kingdom
Ballast Nedam International Product Management Holland
Pitpoint BE (from 01/09/2016) BE
Pitpoint BV (from 01/09/2016) NL
QBuzz BV (ffrom 01/09/2016) NL

Linkedin