From ENN, an article on the unveiling of a “zero-emissions fuel cell bus” in Palm Springs, CA:
The $3.1 million hydrogen-fueled hybrid-electric-fuel-cell bus was presented at the 2005 Fuel Cell Seminar held this week at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The 40-foot bus, which goes into service in December, emits only water vapor.
“I’m told you can drink the water from the tailpipe,” C. Mikel Oglesby, [Sunline Transit Agency‘s] general manager, said at a news conference attended by local officials and seminar participants….
Adorned with the image of a water droplet, the three-door bus seats 30 passengers, hits a top speed of 65 mph and can travel 350 miles before refueling. The chassis’ estimated life span is 12 years or 500,000 miles, the same as gasoline-powered buses, according to SunLine.
Of course, at this price, we won’t be seeing many of these buses on the road. I have to ask the standard question, too: where’s the hydrogen coming from? I’m guessing it’s from fossil fuels, which means that “zero emissions” isn’t exactly correct.
Categories: hydrogen, fuel cell, bus, Palm Springs, California