Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Technology State of the ... - NEXTHYLIGHTS

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Technology State of the Art Review
Annex A: International framework
The scope of this section is to provide a concise overview of the international policy
framework in which demonstrations of fuel cell bus have been promoted, addressing the
role of central governments, international authorities and local associations. In These
projects are listed in Section 2, where are provided details on budgets and stakeholders.
USA
USA research activities on hydrogen as an alternative transport fuels started in the
1970s [DOE, 2010]. In the 1990s the central federal government initiated specific
hydrogen and fuel cell research, development and demonstration programmes
coordinated by the Department of Energy (DOE) [HRDDA, 1990] [HFA, 1996]. This
commitment received further support from the five-year, $1.2 billion-funded Hydrogen
Fuel Initiative (HFI) promoted by the president of the United States in 2003.The HFI
formed the basis of the USA‟s long term hydrogen and fuel cell national RD&D strategy,
currently undertaken by the DOE‟s Hydrogen Program (HP). The DOE is the leading
department in the coordination of the national-wide, multi-departmental RD&D activities
on hydrogen production, distribution and end-use [DOE, 2010].
USA‟s fuel cell bus demonstrations originate in this long-term federal interest in
developing alternative transport fuels. The RD&D activities on fuel cell buses in the
United States have been funded essentially by two major national agencies (the DOE
and the Federal Transport Authority) and by a number of local authorities. In the national
framework, California has also played a key role in rolling out alternative transport
technologies.
A. The Federal Transport Authority (FTA)
The FTA has been the key national agency in supporting alternative transport
technologies, co-funding the first American demonstration of a methanol-fuelled
hydrogen fuel cell buses (FCB) in the 1980s at the University of Georgetown [NREL,
2009]. From the 1990s, the FTA worked in parallel with the DOE‟s hydrogen RD&D
programs in funding FCB demonstrations. In 2005 the FTA undertook a $49 millionfunded
National Fuel Cell Bus Technology Development Program (NFCBP) to
complement and support the HFI, with the precise aim to facilitate the development
of commercially viable hydrogen FCB and related infrastructures [FTA, 2006]. More
details on the FTA- NFCBP are reported in Figure 33, below. In addition to this
program, the FTA is funding smaller projects in a number of American universities
(Georgetown, Delaware, Texas and Alabama, for a total of 6 fuel cell buses) one
battery dominant fuel cell bus for the city of Burbank (California) and two hybrid fuel
cell buses for Sun Line Transit (California).
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