Going Green: Austin's new 'green' bus

[KevinFromTexas]

There is a video in the link showing the bus.

http://austin.ynn.com/content/living...ew--green--bus

07/28/2012 06:42 PM
Going Green: Austin's new 'green' bus
By: Adam Krueger

Austinites are now seeing a new, somewhat futuristic-looking bus driving around the city’s streets.
Capital Metro recently acquired an electric and hydrogen powered bus as part of a one-year-demonstration program.

The state-of-the-art “green” bus is completely free, according to Andrew Murphy with Capital Metro. The bus charges overnight, then can run for about two hours before using hydrogen to recharge the batteries while driving.

The only emission to come from the bus is a small amount of water vapor.

http://hydrogenhybridbus.com/

Hydrogen Hybrid Bus

The Hydrogen Hybrid Bus demonstration project is a part of the National Fuel Cell Bus Program (NFCBP), which is administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is the overall program manager for this NFCBP project. The purpose of the National Fuel Cell Bus Program is to facilitate the development and demonstration of fuel cell technologies. The success of this project is due to the collaboration of many different organizations from across the country. To find out more about who is working on the project, click here

The bus arrived in Austin, Texas in March 2012 to begin Phase II operations and is planned to be in daily operation starting early summer. Capital Metro Transit will operate the bus as part of its regular fleet service for one year. During Phase I, the bus was demonstrated in Columbia, South Carolina in 2010. After Phase I the bus was upgraded at Proterra's Greenville facilities based on lessons learned in Columbia's operations.

Capital Metro will operate the bus on a number of shuttle routes on the University of Texas campus including the Intramural Fields and Forty Acres routes. The University of Texas Center for Electromechanics (UT-CEM) is overseeing the upgrade and retrofitting of a permanent hydrogen production and fueling station at their facility to support the bus. This state-of-the-art station is the first of its kind in Texas and includes hydrogen generation, compression, storage, and dispensing.

Signature Transportation Parts and Service will assist with project management, data collection, and operator training. Gas Technology Institute is responsible for upgrading the fueling station in Austin, and the University of Texas - Center for Electromechanics is responsible for data collection and analysis. When the Austin demonstration is complete, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will analyze all of the final performance data and prepare an overall performance evaluation.

Keep an eye out for exciting public events during the next few months to learn more about this state of the art zero emission bus!