Hydrogen Bus
Students at University of Glamorgan in Wales will very soon be travelling on what might prove to be the vehicle of the future … possibly all our futures.
The Hydrogen Bus, developed within the University in partnership with a wide range of regional, national and international companies as well as the Energy Saving Trust, is a new triple hybrid – or “tribrid” technology vehicle that is attracting attention from major players all around the world.
“All of the current non-combustion power systems have advantages – and disadvantages,” says lead researcher Jonathan Williams. “So we have combined the best of three of them: hydrogen, electric batteries and ultra capacitors.”
The result is a bus that carries up to 16 passengers, produces zero carbon dioxide emissions, has a maximum speed of 55mph and a range of 150 miles. The project to date has taken just two years – but already a working model has gone into service as an inter-campus shuttle at the University and orders are being taken for units at £90,000 ($190,000).
The Welsh Assembly Government’s Accelerate Cluster used its extensive national and international range of contacts to bring together businesses that can play their part in making the concept a reality.
Collaborators include: Dragon Coachworks, a joint venture of two Welsh automotive companies and who supplied the body of the vehicle; Hydrogenics of Mississauga, Canada, who provided the fuel cell technology; Maxwell Technologies of San Diego, who developed the High Voltage Capacitors; and Yuasa Battery (UK) Ltd. of Ebbw Vale, Wales, a subsidiary of Japanese company GS-Yuasa, Corp., who provided the vehicle’s lead acid batteries for the vehicle. Funding came from the Energy Saving Trust, with additional support from the Welsh Assembly Government.
“What we have developed really is the best of all worlds,” says Jonathan Williams. “Batteries are a convenient way to store energy, but they have long charge times, limited top end speeds and they are large and heavy.
“Fuel cells too offer pollution free motoring, but hydrogen storage is limited, refuelling can be an issue and the technology is currently expensive.
“Hybridisation between these two technologies still leaves you with a vehicle that is heavy, difficult to recharge from regenerative braking and struggles to meet peak power loads. Adding ultra capacitors changes the equation completely because they can charge and release energy more quickly. Put the three technologies together and you have a highly responsive – and efficient – vehicle which closely mirrors the driving experience of a traditional vehicle … but with zero carbon emissions.”
“This vehicle will put Wales on the world map as a leader in the field of development of non CO2 technologies. We have ambitious plans for this technology and hope that our work can pave the way for further advances in the development of hydrogenpowered fuel cell technology.”
