Ricardo Repowers Double Decker Diesel Bus With Hydrogen Fuel Cells
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Ricardo.
Ricardo, a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, in partnership with Stagecoach North East, has repowered a diesel, double decker bus with a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system. Delivering zero tailpipe emissions, Ricardo is now seeking to secure customers to invest in the production of a fleet of passenger vehicles fit for the future of sustainable shared mobility.
The project, part funded by the Department of Transport, through its Hydrogen Transport Hub Demonstration competition, saw Ricardo, working with Stagecoach North East to retro-fitted hydrogen fuel cell technology into an existing double decker bus. It created a zero emissions demonstrator that is now undergoing a ten-week test and demonstration programme around the Tees Valley and Brighton and Hove. Feedback and data from the trials will support the team to explore future market opportunities and applications with bus operators and other partners across the UK and beyond.
Given that there are around 38,000 existing buses in the UK, many of which still have a few years of life left, this surely must be an affordable way of creating more zero-carbon hydrogen buses.
It appears that Ricardo are aiming to have an initial batch of 150 buses in service from late 2024.
The Anonymous Widower 
Saietta Group in Oxford will now convert old diesel buses and coaches to electric by replacing the engine, gearbox and drivetrain with a battery pack and two in-wheel motors. https://saiettagroup.com/saietta-accelerates-zero-emission-solutions-for-polluting-buses-and-coaches/ Greenmot in France will also convert buses and coaches to electric and according to Sustainable Bus website also hydrogen https://www.greenmot.com/en/urban-bus-retrofitting/
TfL boss Andy Byford told MyLondon that electric bendy buses could be introduced in London, the bus company in Brighton wants to replace the ex-London bendy buses with double decker buses because more people are working from home resulting in to few passengers to fill bendy buses, TfL could save money by paying a firm to retrofit the Brighton bendy buses to electric. https://www.mylondon.news/news/uk-world-news/london-buses-last-remaining-former-23399618
I also have read that the Mayor or TfL wants to replace the New Routemaster buses with new electric buses which were only built in 2011-17, it will be cheaper, greener and quicker if the diesel hybrid buses are converted to electric and/or hydrogen, in fact it will cost less as diesel only buses as the New Routemaster hybrids already have electric traction motors. TfL could have an all zero emission 9,200 bus fleet before 2034 if retrofitting of existing buses is used.
Comment by jason leahy | June 27, 2022 |
[…] Ricardo has already converted a diesel bus to hydrogen, which I wrote about in Ricardo Repowers Double Decker Diesel Bus With Hydrogen Fuel Cells. […]
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