At the UITP exhibition in Helsinki the Belgian Bus and Car manufacturer Van Hool and its partners UTC Power, Siemens and Air Liquide presented the hybrid fuel cell bus for Europe. It is used on test since summer 2007 on a 25 km regional bus line between Antwerp and Lier operated by the Flemish transport company De Lijn in Belgium, the first company to use this bus on its network.

With the introduction of the hybrid fuel cell bus, VAN HOOL and its partners are taking an important step towards establishing environmentally friendly public transport. The purpose is to contribute to the reduction in the emission of harmful exhaust fumes, in particular fine particles and CO2.

This modern, environmentally friendly city bus combines the result of Van Hool’s 60 years as a bus and coach manufacturer with UTC’s know-how as a fuel cell specialist and Siemens’ electrical drive technology. Importantly, Air Liquide is supplying the hydrogen. This fuel cell bus is soon to be trialled for the first time for ten months by Flemish transport company De Lijn in Belgium.

The most important feature of the bus is that no emissions of harmful gases are produced. It is driven by a fuel cell in which, by means of an electrolysis process, hydrogen is converted into electrical energy under the influence of the oxygen in the air. The emissions are pure water vapour.

All unused electrical energy produced by the fuel cell is stored in batteries that provide the traction when driving away from the bus stop and support the fuel cell whenever necessary. The energy released with every braking movement (at each stop) is recycled and stored in the batteries for later use. The electric motors are switched off automatically when braking, acting as generators.

For this reason this drive form is called the Hybrid Fuel Cell. It is not only power obtained from the hydrogen, but available power from the batteries being reused for the traction and to electrically drive other systems in the bus, like air conditioning, power steering pumps, etc. This results in even lower fuel consumption and greater energy efficiency.

The pure hydrogen is stored in hydrogen tanks on the roof and, under a pressure of 350 bar, it weighs approximately 40 kilo. The action radius of the bus is 350 km, with the accelerating and decelerating performance equal to or better than the diesel version. As there are no moving mechanical parts in the fuel cell itself the typical noise of a fuel or diesel engine is absent and the bus is substantially quieter than the modern diesel version.

Van Hool has developed this hydrogen bus without the need to make any compromises compared to the modern diesel version:

The most important operational objective to preserve has been the passenger capacity. In spite of the hybrid vehicle’s own weight, the capacity is between 94 and 104 passengers, depending on the seating arrangement and the comfort provided for standing passengers. In order to achieve this, Van Hool developed a 13,2 metre long three-axle vehicle with a steered second axle. As a result, the vehicle is easy to turn within the 24-metre turning circle prescribed by the European guideline and, thanks to the three axles, the stability, manoeuvrability and safety has been increased. In addition, all the features of a modern, low-floor bus are also to be found: step-free access at all doors, three wide doors, low floor for the entire length, accessibility for disabled passengers, large panoramic windows and electric climate control.

Consequently this very first up-to-the-mark fuel cell bus with a hybrid drive can confidently be called a world first.