Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration : First Results Report

2011Prepared under Task No. H270.8150PDFTech ReportNREL/TP-5600-52015DE-AC36-08GO28308Fuel cell vehiclesBus transit operationsEvaluationElectric busesZero emission vehicleszero emissionsfuel cell buseshydrogen fueling stationslithium-based energy storage systemSan Francisco Bay AreaNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.)United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyChandler, KevinEudy, LeslieBattelleNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.)Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLCUnited States. Dept. of Energy. Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Bus TransportationUS Transportation CollectionIn response to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) rule for transit agencies in the state, five San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies have joined together to demonstrate the largest fleet of fuel cell buses in the United States. The Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) Demonstration group includes five participating transit agencies: AC Transit (lead transit agency), Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Golden Gate Transit (GGT), San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), and San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). The ZEBA partners are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE\u2019s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. This report documents the early implementation experience for the demonstration. The ZEBA Demonstration includes 12 next-generation fuel cell hybrid buses and two new hydrogen fueling stations. The buses are 40-foot, low floor buses built by Van Hool with a hybrid electric propulsion system that includes a UTC Power fuel cell power system and an advanced lithium-based energy storage system by Ener1. The new buses feature significant improvements over two previous generations of fuel cell buses that were demonstrated in California, Connecticut, and Belgium. Improvements include a redesigned Van Hool chassis that is lighter in weight, shorter in height, and has a lower center of gravity for improved weight distribution