There is no doubt that the future of public transportation is going to be zero emission. Today, as environmental concerns increasingly become center stage issues, transit agencies and operators are being called to look into ways to improve air quality in their communities while maintaining quality of service. Technologies exist today to meet emission regulations and ensure a smooth transition to zero-emission transit.
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Fuel cell buses are hybrid-electric buses with a high efficiency zero-emission “generator” which converts energy from hydrogen gas and air into electricity. A fuel cell bus offers all the benefits of electric drive while improving the bus performance with no compromise in service and operation compared to other zeroemission technologies and no road side infrastructure. Delivering the required mix of emission reduction, fast refuelling, extended range and route flexibility, fuel cell buses are the only zero-emission direct 1:1 replacement for diesel, CNG and biogas (CBG) buses. With millions of kilometers in commercial service and more than ten years on the road in different climates, including extreme cold weather, fuel cell buses have proven to meet operational requirements of transit agencies and bus operators.
Today fuel cell buses offer an attractive business case and a lower total cost of ownership compared to other low and zero-emission options and fuel cost parity with diesel buses. Hydrogen fuel cell technology fits the region's need for sustainable energy while also creating economic opportunities. Deployments around the world have proven that hydrogen-fueled fuel cell buses can be refueled safely and efficiently in the depot. Hydrogen as an industrial gas is currently produced and distributed throughout Scandinavia for a variety of applications. A range of standard solutions exist today to deliver or produce, store and dispense hydrogen gas at transit bus depots, including from 100% renewable sources at a €/km price competitive with diesel.
Today renewable hydrogen and fuel cell technology can provide public transit agencies and operators with scalable and affordable zero-emission electric buses which operate like conventional buses. To reduce the price of the fuel cell buses, it is very important that the municipalities in all the Nordic Countries are contributing to create a demand for the hydrogen infrastructure and the fuel cell buses. This is done by including the implementation of fuel cell buses in the local public transport strategies and route tenders. Read on to learn more about the benefits of zero-emission fuel cell buses for public transportation in Scandinavia.