The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) has partnered with Community Transit in Everett, Washington to provide consulting services for the procurement of a mobile hydrogen refueling solution to support a pilot New Flyer fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) deployment.
To understand Community Transit’s fueling requirements, CTE evaluated the required energy of planned testing service for the pilot FCEB, including test duty cycles, service routing, and passenger and auxiliary loading requirements. CTE performed a hydrogen fueling station analysis using the agency’s operational parameters, as well as learnings from other hydrogen infrastructure projects. CTE developed an estimate for infrastructure requirements, mobility, and footprint of a hydrogen refueling solution, based on the average fill per day that Community Transit can expect once the pilot bus is deployed in testing. These requirements fed a technical specifications document suiting the deployment of a single pilot FCEB. These fueling specifications were included in the mobile hydrogen fueling solution Request for Proposals that Community Transit wrote and published in 2023. CTE also developed best practices and recommendations that will inform future hydrogen infrastructure procurement documentation.
CTE also independently verified the findings of the client’s Zero-Emission Bus (ZEB) Feasibility Study. CTE drafted its findings in a narrative-form document that provides independent verification of the present conclusions and workshopped the assumptions and calculations that required re-evaluation. CTE developed an updated vehicle and infrastructure procurement, and an Operations and Maintenance cost assessment based on modified procurement schedules and updated service requirements. CTE also developed a state of the industry memo to inform plans to implement an on-site small-scale electrolyzer.
CTE will prepare for and facilitate a hydrogen workshop with Community Transit’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT). The purpose of the workshop is to provide the ELT with an understanding of the practical aspects of FCEBs and associated hydrogen infrastructure for future ZEB deployments to inform Community Transit’s future zero-emission technology deployment decisions. CTE will review the state of the hydrogen technology industry, current and future hydrogen supply in the Pacific Northwest, the impacts of the hydrogen hub program, review the experiences and challenges of other transit agency hydrogen deployments, and conduct Q&A sessions with the ELT. CTE will prepare a workshop agenda and presentation materials for review by the Community Transit ZEB team and the ELT ahead of the workshop. CTE will also provide support and guidance to Community Transit in developing depot and on-route charging strategies and review the corresponding operations and scheduling impacts of deploying 60-ft. battery-electric buses in BRT service if Community Transit does not choose hydrogen as a technology decision for their future 60-ft. ZEB deployments.
CTE is providing project management support, and ZEB-related consulting.
