The Fuel Cell Bus Club comprised the participants of three demonstration projects (CUTE, ECTOS and STEP) for fuel cell buses in nine European cities and two other worldwide cities between 2001 and 2007. Other cities such as Beijing also tested buses from the consortium behind the project.

All three projects used Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses, with hydrogen fuel cells from Ballard Power Systems. When completed in 2007, all three projects were deemed a success by researchers. However, the buses were criticised by some operators for their high cost of operation compared to diesel buses, with Madrid reporting that they were around ten times as costly to fuel. Others noted the high purchase price of hydrogen buses, and the need to build dedicated hydrogen filling stations. The project was supported by a consortium of transportation operators, hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell developers, universities and city authorities.

At the end of the project in 2006, researchers deemed the project a success. A subsequent project (HYFLEET-CUTE) ran from 2006 until 2009, using the existing hydrogen fuel cell buses as well as new buses.

ECTOS

ECTOS stands for Ecological City Transport System. Icelandic New Energy was responsible for this project, the aim of which was to demonstrate "state-of-the-art" hydrogen technology by running part of the public transport system with fuel cell buses in the city Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Hydrogen was produced from domestic geothermal and hydro-powered energy sources by electrolysis. The project ran from 2003 to 2005. This initiative of the Government of Western Australia's Department for Planning and Infrastructure, was the responsibility of Transperth, though it was run by contracted operator Path Transit. The three Mercedes-Benz hydrogen fuel cell buses that operated in Perth were called "EcoBuses". The STEP project ran from 2001 to 2005, with the first buses in service in September 2004. with one bus subsequently preserved (albeit without the hydrogen fuel cells).

The Perth trial received A$2.5 million funding from the Department of the Environment and Heritage and the Australian Greenhouse Office.

Vehicles and partners

thumb|[[Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell bus]]

All projects used Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses from DaimlerChrysler. They used hydrogen fuel cells were manufactured by XCELLSIS Fuel Cell Engines, now a division of Ballard Power Systems, and were developed as an alliance of Ballard, DaimlerChrysler, and Ford. In many cities, hydrogen fuel was provided by BP. At the time, they claimed to be the largest fleet of fuel cell buses in the world with 33 in regular service. The buses were estimated to cost US$1.2 million each and had a range of and carried around 70 passengers.

References

  • Official website of the Fuel Cell Bus Club (also the official website of CUTE) (archived from the original)
  • Official website of Icelandic New Energy (includes details of ECTOS)
  • Official EcoBus website (archived from the original)
  • Technical Information of Hydrogen Buses