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.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.
"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.
Categories: hydrogen, fuel cell, bus, Palm Springs, California
