The Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) Bus

“Transport secretary, Grant Shapps, tells MPs that the government
will experiment with hydrogen fuel cells for an entire town’s bus network.”
 
Source:  May 2

What is a (HFC) Bus?
·       A (HFC) electric bus is an electric bus that includes both a hydrogen fuel cell and batteries.
 
·       The hydrogen fuel cell provides all of the energy for bus’s operation, whilst the batteries are there to provide peak power to the motors to meet rapid acceleration and steep gradients.
 
How does it work?
·       The fuel cell power module onboard the bus generates electric energy through an electro-chemical reaction. The only by-products from the process are water and heat, there are no harmful emissions produced.
 
·       Generated electric energy is used to provide electric traction and to keep the batteries charged.
 
·       The by-product heat is utilised to provide passenger hearting comfort.
 
·       Note, the batteries also provide storage for regenerated braking energy.
 
·       All the energy required for the bus to operate is provided by hydrogen stored on board.
 
 
 
Where do you store the hydrogen on the bus?

• Hydrogen is stored in pressurised tanks on board the bus and is combined with oxygen to provide electricity.
• Hydrogen offers higher energy density compared to electrical battery storage. The advantage of using hydrogen is you get a longer range compared to battery energy storage.

·      As the hydrogen fuel cell generates only water as an emission it will always classified as a zero emission bus.”
How long does it take to refuel the bus with hydrogen?
·       Typically you will be looking to around 5 to 7 minutes for fill of hydrogen.
 
Where do you source the hydrogen?

• Most industrial hydrogen used in the world today is produced from fossil fuel sources (natural gas) of energy.  However, hydrogen can be produced from a range of ultra-low carbon routes, including renewable electricity, biomass and other hydrocarbons including carbon capture and storage.
• When a (HFC) bus is fuelled by hydrogen sourced by solar or wind technology we say the mode of bus transportation is zero carbon positive to the passenger.

When will we see hydrogen fuel cell electric buses?

• Europe’s largest hydrogen fuel cell electric bus fleet is based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The 10 hydrogen vehicles operated by First Aberdeen and Stagecoach was launched in a bid to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.  It included the UK’s first hydrogen production and hydrogen bus refuelling station at Kittybrewster.

 
 
So, will the government experiment with hydrogen fuel cells for an entire town’s bus network?
Please open the link below.
“Wrightbus ready to produce 3,000 hydrogen buses for UK by 2024.”
 
Source:  May 20
 
 
https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/jo-bamford-wrightbus-3000-hydrogen-buses/
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