California-based AC Transit has announced that it has agreed to purchase a minimum of eight fuel cell-powered buses and hold the option for an additional 13, in what will be the biggest procurement of such vehicles for public transport ever seen in the United States.

Under the new deal, UTC Power of Connecticut will supply the company with its 120 kW PureMotion Model 120 fuel cell systems to power its planned fleet of next generation hybrid-electric buses.

At present, AC Transit operate a number of buses powered by an earlier UTC Power fuel cell system, though this source comes with a warranty of just 4,000 miles in comparison to the 10,000 mile warranty offered by the new alternative.

Commenting on the new deal, Rick Fernandez, General Manager at the transport company, stated: "Our experience with UTC Power and their fuel cell design has been extraordinarily good.

"Not only have we realized significantly better fuel economy, but their unique design operates at near-ambient pressure resulting in a very quiet vehicle. UTC Power has been a strong partner of ours, sparing no resources to provide us with excellent service and support, leading, in part, to our elected Board of Directors unanimously approving their contract."

The first batch of fuel cells is due to be delivered in 2009, with a second delivery scheduled for the following year.



Source:

Next Generation of Zero-Emission Buses is on the Way
http://www.actransit.org/news/articledetail.wu?articleid=22a3f338