UTC-powered hybrid transit bus unveiled for Belgium

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT, USA, May 14, 2007. Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool has unveiled what it claims is the country’s first zero-emission, hybrid electric transit bus, equipped with a PEM fuel cell system from US-based UTC Power.

The 13 m (43 ft) bus is being delivered to De Lijn, the largest bus fleet operator in Belgium. It will operate in Belgium for six months, before being leased to other transit agencies in Europe.

Earlier this year, a Van Hool hybrid electric transit bus, using a UTC Power PureMotion Model 120 fuel cell system, was rolled out in Hartford, Connecticut and other similar buses are operating in Oakland and Palm Springs in California. The bus design also features a roof-top cooling system and improved locations for drive components and fuel storage.

“The design of this new three-axle, low-floor bus is unique, allowing an increased capacity of up to 104 passengers within Europe’s stringent weight requirements,” comments Leopold Van Hool, the company’s managing director. “This will result in considerable improvement in operating costs per passenger.”

UTC Power has provided fuel cell power plants for fleet transportation since 1998, and its fuel cells have powered buses in the US, Spain and Italy. The company is also participating in three new zero-emission transit bus projects in California and Washington, DC as part of a Federal Transit Administration cost-shared program.

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