The issue of investment in hydrogen fuel cells may rage on in the USA, but that hasn’t stopped Colorado-based Proterra LLC providing a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid bus for use in a US Department of Defence pilot project.
The aim of the project is to test an end-to-end clean hydrogen energy cycle, and will include all elements of a clean hydrogen energy cycle such as local hydrogen generation via waste water treatment digester gas clean-up and reformation; bulk hydrogen storage, dispensing and transport; and hydrogen load in the form of 19 fuel cell-powered electric forklifts.
Proterra, a manufacturer of electric drive commercial transportation solutions, will produce a 35ft composite body, plug-in battery-electric bus with hydrogen fuel cell range extension. This will be used to transport staff between Ft Lewis and McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington, and around the Ft Lewis base.
The bus itself uses two hydrogenics 16kW fuel cell APUs and a UQM PowerPhase 150 electric propulsion system which produces a peak torque of 650Nm and peak power of 150kW. It also features a TerraVolt fast-charging energy storage system which incorporates a lithium-ion battery pack from Altairnano.
This is the third project in a series of Defence Logistics Agency pilots with the aim of providing the technical and business case data needed to support plans for hydrogen infrastructure to achieve its Energy Policy Act objectives.
