Air Liquide under contract to provide hydrogen for Birmingham --- Jefferson County Transit fuel cell bus operations
Birmingham, Alabama - The Center for Transportation and the Environment ("CTE") announced that Air Liquide Industrial U.S. LP ("Air Liquide") is under contract to build and operate a hydrogen fueling station for the Birmingham, Alabama Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration. The Birmingham Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration is a part of the National Fuel Cell Bus Program ("NFCBP"), a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funded initiative. Air Liquide has over 10 years of experience worldwide in supplying bus and vehicle hydrogen refueling systems. In Whistler, Canada, Air Liquide signed a ten---year contract to support fueling of 20 hydrogen---powered buses, the largest fuel cell bus fleet in the world. CTE, a non---profit organization that specializes in bringing clean transportation technologies to market, is managing the Birmingham Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration. Air Liquide joins an already experienced team that CTE has assembled for the project. EVAmerica, an organization specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of electric and hybrid---electric medium to heavy---duty vehicles, will design and integrate the bus, and the fuel cell is being provided by Ballard Power Systems. The bus will be operated in regular service by the Birmingham --- Jefferson County Transit Agency ("BJCTA"). The University of Alabama Birmingham will be responsible for data acquisition and analysis, the results of which will be published when the demonstration is complete.
"The BJCTA is proud to be a part of this fuel cell demonstration," said Lee Jackson, Director of Maintenance at BJCTA. "This project will give Birmingham and the surrounding communities a firsthand look at the new clean technologies that are being developed and introduced to mass transit. The project will also allow the BJCTA to step forward as a leader in the Southeast as a test facility for the new technology."
The hydrogen fueling system will meet all of CTE's operational and safety requirements, and will provide on average about 20 kg of hydrogen per day throughout the 24---month demonstration period, totaling about 12,500 kg of hydrogen. The fueling station will feature automated 350 bar hydrogen dispensing at one kg per minute, allowing operators to fuel the bus quickly. Erik Bigelow, a technology development project manager at CTE, is managing the project.
"Air Liquide has a proven track record of developing hydrogen fueling stations around the world," said Bigelow. "We are excited to work with them to bring the first hydrogen infrastructure to Birmingham." Mark Lostak, president of Air Liquide Industrial U.S. LP, commented: "Air Liquide is excited to participate in the Birmingham Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration. This initiative illustrates the logical progression toward the use of hydrogen fuel cells in public transportation vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is a solution that is both economic and sustainable for mass transit systems due to the size of public bus fleets, fuel volume requirements, and the inherent ability to use a centralized fueling system. As we move towards fueling larger bus fleets, we look forward to this technology further demonstrating itself as a cost competitive and environmentally beneficial solution for public transit."
About CTE
The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Atlanta, Georgia that develops technologies and implements solutions to achieve energy and environmental sustainability. Since its founding in 1993, CTE has managed a portfolio of more than $225 million in federal, state, and local cost--- shared research, development, and demonstration projects involving more than 250 organizations in the advanced transportation technology field. CTE has facilitated and leveraged funding for its projects and initiatives from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, Interior, and Transportation, as well as from the U.S. Army and NASA, among many others.
About Air Liquide
Air Liquide is the world leader in gases for industry, health and the environment, and is present in 80 countries with 46,200 employees. Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and rare gases have been at the core of Air Liquide's activities since its creation in 1902. Using these molecules, Air Liquide continuously reinvents its business, anticipating the needs of current and future markets. The Group innovates to enable progress, to achieve dynamic growth and a consistent performance.
