With a state mandate for all transit agency buses to go emission-free by 2040 as a way to reduce smog and greenhouse gases, some are choosing a different way to achieve that zero-polluting goal.
Instead of buying battery-electric buses, which run on the same technology as electric vehicles (EVs) that need to plug into the power grid to charge up, agencies are increasingly turning to hydrogen-powered electric buses.
Leading the way is Foothill Transit, which a few days ago received a state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grant of $16.9 million that will be used to help purchase 30 hydrogen-powered fuel-cell buses. The San Gabriel Valley-based agency also will use the grant to add a new bus line and make two existing lines faster through signalization technology that can keep traffic signals green longer.
The total project costs about $45.3 million, meaning the grant money pays for about 37%. The balance comes from other state and federal grants, said Foothill Transit spokesperson Felicia Friesema.
“We are thrilled to receive this TIRCP grant, which allows us to greatly expand our zero-emission fleet and make mobility easier for our communities,” said Doran Barnes, Foothill Transit’s chief executive officer.
A hydrogen fuel-cell bus is also an electric bus, only it does not plug in. It has lithium ion batteries that are constantly charged from an on-board hydrogen fuel cell. In other words, it makes its own power.
The hydrogen is stored in six tanks affixed to the roof of the bus. Hydrogen gas comes down into the fuel cell stack. Once hydrogen (H2) combines with oxygen (O2) in the air, it creates electricity that charges the battery that turns the direct, rear-wheel drive.
Heat and water vapor are the only emissions; there are no carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change. Heat is used to warm the cabin. Only water vapor (H2O) comes out of the tailpipe, Friesema said.
Foothill Transit has 33 hydrogen fuel cell buses in operation out of 357 buses, the largest hydrogen-powered bus fleet in the nation, said Friesema. About 286 of its buses run on compressed natural gas or CNG and these are slowly being replaced for cleaner buses. The agency also runs 19 plug-in battery-electric buses, she said.
Foothill Transit bus driver Refugio Dimas, center right, lowers the handicapped ramp on one of the transportation companies new hydrogen powered buses as trainer Mark Marquez, center left, in the company’s maintenance yard in Pomona on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
One hydrogen bus would eliminate the 3,655 grams of carbon dioxide emitted per mile by a CNG bus, said Roland Cordero, director of maintenance and diesel technology for Foothill Transit during an interview in November 2022. The total miles driven for the fleet of hydrogen buses thus far equals 1,619,392, which comes out to 6,524 tons of GHG emissions removed from bus service, Friesema reported.
A hydrogen bus emits zero criteria air pollutants that create smog, and zero GHGs, including no CO2, a main contributor to the increase in the Earth’s temperature that has lead to rising ocean tides, flooding and more intense hurricanes and wildfires.
New orders already placed will add 19 more hydrogen buses to Foothill’s fleet, bringing the number to 52 by the end of next year. Orders for the next 30 hydrogen buses using the recent state grant dollars will be placed shortly, but they won’t arrive and become operational until early 2026, eventually bringing the number of hydrogen fuel cell buses to 82, Friesema added.
The transit agency runs buses along the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley foothill communities of L.A. County, into downtown Los Angeles, north Orange County and the west end of San Bernardino County. The majority of its hydrogen buses are on Line 486 that runs from El Monte Station to Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, and to Cal Poly Pomona, Friesema said.
In December 2022, Foothill became the first agency to deploy hydrogen-powered buses in Los Angeles County.
The Foothill hydrogen fuel cell buses hook up to a refueling system fed by a 25,000 hydrogen fuel tank at its Pomona Operations and Maintenance Facility on East End Avenue.
This is the largest hydrogen tank in North America for transit use, said Friesema.
Not to be outdone, the Orange County Transportation Agency has 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses in operation. It will add 40 more hydrogen buses in 2026, said Eric Carpenter, spokesperson.
OCTA hydrogen fuel cell buses refuel at an 18,000-gallon tank at its facility in Santa Ana, he said. The transit agency is planning to add a second tank and fueling station at its Garden Grove facility in the future, Carpenter said.
LA Metro, the largest transit agency in L.A. County, does not have any hydrogen buses in its fleet of 1,950 buses, said Tracy Smith, LA Metro spokesperson, in an emailed response.
Instead, it has 50 battery-electric buses in its fleet, said Smith. Apparently, LA Metro is getting ready to replace more CNG buses soon. It has 95 battery-electric buses on order that have not yet been received, Smith said. The G (Orange) Line Bus Rapid Transit runs exclusively on battery-electric buses that plug into the grid for re-charging, according to Metro.
Friesema said Foothill is finding that hydrogen fuel cell buses are a better fit. They can refuel much faster than battery-electric buses.
“A battery-electric bus takes several hours to charge. A hydrogen fuel cell bus fuels in five to 10 minutes. It doesn’t need to dwell at a charging station to achieve its full charge,” Friesema said.
The range is similar to the CNG buses and fits into the bus operating schedule better than battery-electric buses, she said.
“Because of similarity of range and fueling time, they’ve been a seamless fit for our service profile,” she added.
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