Santa Cruz, Calif., Area Buying 57 Hydrogen-Powered Buses

Once the vehicles are received, an estimated 12 to 18 months after sign-off from the Metro board, the hydrogen buses alone will make up more than half of Metro's 97-bus fleet.

But what makes this technology so special that Metro would put roughly 60% of its eggs in one basket?

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"I think the board really has chosen a hydrogen path," Santa Cruz Metro CEO Michael Tree told the Sentinel.

Hydrogen hype

Tree said state and federal authorities have been pushing transportation agencies to move quickly toward a low-carbon future for some time. While federal officials have indicated a strong preference for this, the state has put it in writing and will require Metro to operate exclusively zero-emission vehicles by the year .

But whether those vehicles come in the form of hydrogen fuel or battery electric buses is largely up to the local board.

Tree said that the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell buses compared to electric battery buses are fourfold. Firstly, the standard 40-foot hydrogen buses can travel about 300-350 miles before needing to refuel while battery buses of the same size have a 175-200-mile range.

On top of that, refueling a hydrogen bus takes only about eight minutes, while the battery buses require an overnight charge. Additionally, hydrogen buses have fewer batteries and are almost 11,000 pounds lighter than battery electric &#;32,770 pounds compared to 43,650, respectively &#;resulting in fewer roadway impacts.

Unlike battery electrics, a hydrogen fuel station can also be reliably powered by a generator, giving the buses a key resiliency component in a county that has suffered multiple environmental disasters in recent years.

"If you've got a whole fleet of battery electric buses and you have a natural disaster that takes out your electricity for any sustainable time period, you're dead in the water," said Tree. "If the power is out, we're still up and going and we can help with wherever the (emergency operations center) needs us to be."

Nuts and bolts

Tree explained that both hydrogen and battery electric vehicles power their motors with an electrical charge, the difference is in the mechanism for creating that electricity. Similar to other electric vehicles, the battery buses recharge by simply connecting to an electric port.

Conversely, hydrogen fuel buses refuel similar to any gas-powered vehicle. The refueling station has a nozzle that pumps hydrogen gas into a series of fuel cell tanks that generate the electricity that powers the motor.

Most of the funding for the 57 hydrogen vehicles &#;nine of which have expanded capacity and will be dedicated exclusively to service at UC Santa Cruz &#;comes from state and federal grants. Some additional money will also arrive through state vouchers and settlement funds from Volkswagen after it was found liable for violating vehicle pollution standards several years ago.

According to Tree, only $918,000 of the $88 million it costs to purchase all 57 buses is local money, specifically from the Measure D transportation sales tax. Typically for these purchases, a local authority will spend 20% of the total while receiving 80% of funding from state and federal partners, he said.

Metro was awarded a federal grant worth $20.3 million announced in July, which came on the heels of a state grant totaling $38.5 million in April.

While hydrogen fuel is expensive and the buses come at a slightly higher cost than electric battery vehicles, Tree said a price analysis from Metro revealed that the total capital costs for investing in hydrogen were lower, primarily because they require far fewer refueling stations. Metro has funding to establish one station in Santa Cruz and is planning to build another in Watsonville at some point soon.

Both bus varieties have a roughly 12-year lifespan.

"It's about environmental sustainability, it's about community wellbeing and it's about equity," said Santa Cruz Metro Board Chair Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson.

Once the purchase of the hydrogen vehicles and a separate deal for a couple of more electric battery vehicles are finalized, Kalantari-Johnson said the agency will have 57 hydrogen fuel, 10 battery electric, 22 natural gas and eight hybrid diesel buses in its fleet.

This puts Metro ahead of schedule in its effort to convert its entire fleet to zero emission by , she said.

"We're well on our way," said Kalantari-Johnson. "We anticipate we'll meet it, with a mixture of hydrogen and battery electric buses, ... before ."

Could be greener

Though the hydrogen vehicles are zero emission on paper, Tree admitted that the green technology is not yet as clean as the board had hoped for.

He estimated that about 70% of the hydrogen fueling the buses will come from natural gas and other unfavorable greenhouse gas sources, at least initially. The other 30% will come from truly sustainable sources such as wind, solar and the capturing of biomass at dairy farms.

But ultimately, he takes some solace in the fact that there will be "no tailpipes" in the county's communities.

"At the end of the day where the impact is, there's no tailpipe and those buses are running around in the community next to the schools, next to the subdivisions," said Tree. "We're doing our part where we can do our part."

But there are also long-term plans to close the sustainability loop.

Metro is a member of the state's Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, which is currently applying to secure $1.2 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a "hydrogen hub" in California. The 100% green project would create an environmentally sustainable system for producing and delivering hydrogen on a massive scale and, according to Tree, could bring down the cost of hydrogen fuel to the equivalent of about $2 per gallon.

"We've got a vision for how to get green hydrogen, how to deliver it in a green fashion and how to significantly slash the price to $2, which would be the win, win, win all the way around," said Tree.

© the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(TNS) &#; Santa Cruz Metro is expected to finalize the purchase of 57 hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses in a matter of weeks and it will be the single largest purchase for that variety of zero-emission vehicle in the nation.Once the vehicles are received, an estimated 12 to 18 months after sign-off from the Metro board, the hydrogen buses alone will make up more than half of Metro's 97-bus fleet.But what makes this technology so special that Metro would put roughly 60% of its eggs in one basket?"I think the board really has chosen a hydrogen path," Santa Cruz Metro CEO Michael Tree told the Sentinel.Hydrogen hypeTree said state and federal authorities have been pushing transportation agencies to move quickly toward a low-carbon future for some time. While federal officials have indicated a strong preference for this, the state has put it in writing and will require Metro to operate exclusively zero-emission vehicles by the year .But whether those vehicles come in the form of hydrogen fuel or battery electric buses is largely up to the local board.Tree said that the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell buses compared to electric battery buses are fourfold. Firstly, the standard 40-foot hydrogen buses can travel about 300-350 miles before needing to refuel while battery buses of the same size have a 175-200-mile range.On top of that, refueling a hydrogen bus takes only about eight minutes, while the battery buses require an overnight charge. Additionally, hydrogen buses have fewer batteries and are almost 11,000 pounds lighter than battery electric &#;32,770 pounds compared to 43,650, respectively &#;resulting in fewer roadway impacts.Unlike battery electrics, a hydrogen fuel station can also be reliably powered by a generator, giving the buses a key resiliency component in a county that has suffered multiple environmental disasters in recent years."If you've got a whole fleet of battery electric buses and you have a natural disaster that takes out your electricity for any sustainable time period, you're dead in the water," said Tree. "If the power is out, we're still up and going and we can help with wherever the (emergency operations center) needs us to be."Nuts and boltsTree explained that both hydrogen and battery electric vehicles power their motors with an electrical charge, the difference is in the mechanism for creating that electricity. Similar to other electric vehicles, the battery buses recharge by simply connecting to an electric port.Conversely, hydrogen fuel buses refuel similar to any gas-powered vehicle. The refueling station has a nozzle that pumps hydrogen gas into a series of fuel cell tanks that generate the electricity that powers the motor.Most of the funding for the 57 hydrogen vehicles &#;nine of which have expanded capacity and will be dedicated exclusively to service at UC Santa Cruz &#;comes from state and federal grants. Some additional money will also arrive through state vouchers and settlement funds from Volkswagen after it was found liable for violating vehicle pollution standards several years ago.According to Tree, only $918,000 of the $88 million it costs to purchase all 57 buses is local money, specifically from the Measure D transportation sales tax. Typically for these purchases, a local authority will spend 20% of the total while receiving 80% of funding from state and federal partners, he said.Metro was awarded a federal grant worth $20.3 million announced in July, which came on the heels of a state grant totaling $38.5 million in April.While hydrogen fuel is expensive and the buses come at a slightly higher cost than electric battery vehicles, Tree said a price analysis from Metro revealed that the total capital costs for investing in hydrogen were lower, primarily because they require far fewer refueling stations. Metro has funding to establish one station in Santa Cruz and is planning to build another in Watsonville at some point soon.Both bus varieties have a roughly 12-year lifespan."It's about environmental sustainability, it's about community wellbeing and it's about equity," said Santa Cruz Metro Board Chair Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson.Once the purchase of the hydrogen vehicles and a separate deal for a couple of more electric battery vehicles are finalized, Kalantari-Johnson said the agency will have 57 hydrogen fuel, 10 battery electric, 22 natural gas and eight hybrid diesel buses in its fleet.This puts Metro ahead of schedule in its effort to convert its entire fleet to zero emission by , she said."We're well on our way," said Kalantari-Johnson. "We anticipate we'll meet it, with a mixture of hydrogen and battery electric buses, ... before ."Could be greenerThough the hydrogen vehicles are zero emission on paper, Tree admitted that the green technology is not yet as clean as the board had hoped for.He estimated that about 70% of the hydrogen fueling the buses will come from natural gas and other unfavorable greenhouse gas sources, at least initially. The other 30% will come from truly sustainable sources such as wind, solar and the capturing of biomass at dairy farms.But ultimately, he takes some solace in the fact that there will be "no tailpipes" in the county's communities."At the end of the day where the impact is, there's no tailpipe and those buses are running around in the community next to the schools, next to the subdivisions," said Tree. "We're doing our part where we can do our part."But there are also long-term plans to close the sustainability loop.Metro is a member of the state's Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, which is currently applying to secure $1.2 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a "hydrogen hub" in California. The 100% green project would create an environmentally sustainable system for producing and delivering hydrogen on a massive scale and, according to Tree, could bring down the cost of hydrogen fuel to the equivalent of about $2 per gallon."We've got a vision for how to get green hydrogen, how to deliver it in a green fashion and how to significantly slash the price to $2, which would be the win, win, win all the way around," said Tree.

No, we&#;re not just throwing around random numbers, nor are we setting odds like bookmakers. That 0.55 and 1.27 followed by the euro symbol refer to the cost per kilometer of electric and hydrogen buses in service for SASA Bolzano. A new study found that, for the same mileage, FCEB operating costs are 2.3 times higher than those of BEBs.

SASA is the first operator in Italy to welcome these H2 vehicles into their fleet. The operator has one of the main fleet Europe-wide of fuel cell buses.

Eurac research on zero-emission buses

Let&#;s break it down. The Eurac Research Institute for Renewable Energy, based in Bolzano, conducted a study as part of the LIFEalps project, funded by the EU under the LIFE IP program of the European Commission. The study, published in the Journal of Energy Storage, contains insightful data on the efficiency of battery electric buses and fuel cell buses and on their energy consumption with a focus on running costs for the two technologies (not the TCO, then).

The SASA fleet comprises 21 zero-emission buses (ZEBs), accounting for 7% of the total fleet. The rest consists of diesel, compressed natural gas, and hybrid vehicles. The fleet serves various sectors within these municipalities and spans 20 urban lines, 20 suburban lines connecting different communities, and 3 urban night lines. Of the 21 ZEBs, they are distributed as follows: three Solaris Urbino 12 BEBs, two Solaris Urbino 18 BEBs, five Mercedes O530 Citaro FCEBs, and twelve Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen FCEBs. These buses cover part of the line service for at least 14 routes in Bolzano and Laives, each with specific technical specifications.

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Source: &#;Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas&#;, by Eurac, published on Journal of Energy Storage 72 ()

Since not all operational and logistic costs are publicly available, the study adopted the following publicly declared costs for consistency: i) &#;13.80 per kg H2 for public refueling and &#;0.40 per kWh for charging on public streets.

What about energy consumption? &#;The average monitored tank-to-wheel (TTW) efficiency for the two different FCEB models was 10.07 kg H2/100 km and 9.31 kg H2/100 km, while the monitored TTW efficiency for the two BEB models was 137 kWh/100 km and 153.80 kWh/100 km&#;, the study reads.

And the paper puts also a spotlight on the &#;a direct comparison of the efficiency of the two bus models: the hydrogen consumption has been converted to kWh using a conversion factor of 33.33 kWh/kg H2. This results in a TTW average efficiency of FCEB models of 310.24 kWh/100 km and 335.75 kWh/100 km, respectively. The TTW efficiency results of FCEBs are much lower than the efficiency of BEBs; in fact, it is between 2 and 2.45 times lower&#;.

Source: &#;Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas&#;, by Eurac, published on Journal of Energy Storage 72 ()

Fuel cell buses vs battery-electric buses

Based on this figure, from January to April , after covering approximately 500,000 kilometers, SASA spent approximately &#;511,300 to refuel and recharge the ZEB fleet. Of these costs, 74% went towards refueling FCEBs, covering 56% of the distance, while 26% was allocated to BEB recharging, covering 44% of the distance.

Therefore, according to Eurac&#;s calculations, the operating costs for BEBs and FCEBs end up being &#;0.55/km and &#;1.27/km, respectively. This means that, for the same distance, FCEB operating costs are 2.3 times higher than those of BEBs.

Source: &#;Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas&#;, by Eurac, published on Journal of Energy Storage 72 ()

Regarding the single bus model, operating costs for the Mercedes O530 Citaro and the Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen FCEB are &#;1.36/km and &#;1.23/km, respectively (about 10% lower for the latest delivered product). Operating costs for the Solaris Urbino 18 and Solaris Urbino 12 BEB are &#;0.58/km and &#;0.53/km (9% lower).

On the efficiency of battery-electric buses (with a &#;but&#;)

However, under certain conditions, fuel cell technology has proven to be more efficient than battery-electric technology. The results of the study indicate that there is a greater variability in energy consumption among battery-electric buses compared to fuel cell-powered counterparts. The study reveals that &#;For the FCEBs, the minimum TTW value is 14 % &#; 17 % lower as the overall average, while the maximum TTW is 16 % &#; 19 % higher as the overall average. Instead, the minimum TTW value for BEBs is 17 % &#; 26 % lower as the overall average, while the maximum value is 27 % &#; 72 % higher as the respective overall average&#;. Cold weather is the enemy.

For SASA Bolzano&#;s daily mission profiles, both technologies have proven effective, as stated by Wolfram Sparber, co-author of the study and head of the research institute: &#;The study shows that both technologies &#; hydrogen and battery electric buses &#; could be used successfully in daily operations allowing a clear reduction in on site emissions. The collected data show a high efficiency of battery electric buses. This leads on the one hand to a higher temperature sensitivity in their seasonal applications than hydrogen buses but on the other hand to considerably lower cost pre driven kilometre than hydrogen buses (if public available hydrogen / energy cost data are used)&#;.

In conclusion? In a nutshell, the numbers speak for themselves: the tank-to-wheel efficiency of electric buses surpasses that of hydrogen buses. The debate is open!

For more information, please visit Hydrogen fuel cell bus.