New England is to receive its first hydrogen-powered fuel cell bus next year, as authorities have commissioned UTC Power to deliver a state of the art vehicle.

Due to debut in Hartford in 2007, the 40-foot bus is a hybrid vehicle with both an electric motor and a fuel cell powered by hydrogen, boasting a quiet ride, zero CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency more than twice that of a conventional diesel.

UTC Power developed the fuel cell hybrid design with the Belgian bus maker Van Hool, integrated fuel cell specialist ISE and fuel cell bus operator AC Transit.

Funded by a $2.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, Connecticut's new transit bus will benefit from the use of a hydrogen refuelling station provided by UTC as part of the deal.

"With Connecticut being a centre for fuel cell technology development, it is only fitting that Hartford have New England's first fuel cell bus," said UTC president Jan van Dokkum. "We hope it is the first of many."

Emitting only water, hydrogen fuel cell engines are seen as the potential solution to our dependence on fossil fuels, though the technology is currently too expensive for commercial mass production.

Several fuel cell buses have been successfully trialled in London and several are still being used on the RV1 route.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd