Ballard Power Systems has announced a near-100 strong hydrogen fuel cell engine order from Solaris Bus & Coach with deliveries starting late 2023 and most coming on stream next year.
The order, for 96 engines, include the largest single order to date that Ballard has received from Solaris – for 52 fuel cell engines that will power Solaris Urbino hydrogen buses for deployment by public transport operator Rebus Regionalbus Rostock, based in Güstrow, Germany.
Rebus is building two hydrogen refueling stations at depots in Güstrow and Bad Doberan to support the planned and future growth of hydrogen powered local public transportation.
In addition to the order for Güstrow-bound buses, Ballard has received orders from Solaris for an additional 44 fuel cell engines that will power Solaris buses in European cities. These orders will add to the more than 110 fuel cell buses that Solaris has deployed with customers in Europe to date.
David Mucciacciaro, Ballard Chief Commercial Officer, said, “Receiving our largest single order for fuel cell bus engines in Europe is a testament to the performance of our products and our partner’s hydrogen-powered buses. We believe these orders demonstrate broader acceptance of fuel cell buses that is driving deployment-level volumes for our customer and is a signpost on the journey towards decarbonization of city buses and the potential of widespread fuel cell bus adoption.”
Last week Ballard signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Ford Trucks to supply a fuel cell system as part of the development of a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle prototype. The partnership includes an initial purchase order for 2 FCmove™-XD 120 kW fuel cell engines that are planned to be delivered by Ballard to Ford Trucks in 2023.
The company also received an order for additional fuel cell engines from Canadian Pacific Kansas City at the end of July. These 18, 200 kW fuel cell engines are planned for delivery in 2023 and will support the expansion of CPKC’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program.
Ford Trucks, the global brand of Ford Otosan, plans to develop a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) F-MAX as part of the project. The 120 kW FCmove-XDTM fuel cell engines are planned to be integrated into Ford Trucks’ F-MAX 44-ton long-haul tractor truck.
