Ballard Power Systems Inc. (Burnaby, BC) and XCELLSIS Fuel Cell Engines Inc. (Burnaby, BC) announced that the ZEbus (zero-emission bus) successfully completed its fuel cell bus demonstration program with SunLine Transit Agency (Thousand Palms, CA) and produced exceptional performance results.
"After more than a year of rigorous field testing, together with SunLine, we have taken another important step to demonstrate the viability of fuel-cell-powered transit buses," said Jim Sturek, CEO of XCELLSIS. "By testing the ZEbus in simulated transit operations in harsh desert conditions, XCELLSIS has acquired invaluable knowledge applicable to our current product development phases, SunLine personnel and the College of the Desert."
During the 13-month demonstration, the zero-emission vehicle traveled more than 14,900 miles with a total run time of 865 hours. The hydrogen-fueled ZEbus is powered by Ballard Mark 700 Series fuel cell stacks and was endorsed by the California Fuel Cell Partnership. Under this partnership, up to 20 buses and 60 cars will be on the roads of California for testing and demonstration by the end of 2003. SunLine Transit, AC Transit, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority are expected to serve as initial test sites for the bus program, which will see the buses included in regular transit operations, carrying fare-paying customers over normal routes.
