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Burbank to Unveil New Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus
Photo via city of Burbank
Photo via city of Burbank
Metro may be known for its use of compressed natural gas, but Burbank's small transit system will soon have something to show off to the region. On Wednesday, officials will unveil a sleek new, ultra-quiet and zero-emission bus based on hydrogen fuel cell technology. The vehicle is a test bus from Colorado-based Proterra with funding via state grants.
Scheduled to hit the streets in June, the bus will only discharge water from its exhuast, will be able to travel up to 250 miles before recharging time--that's double the distance a diesel bus can do on a full tank--and will rotate between the city's four routes.
How does it work? "The light weight chassis will house two fuel cell modules and lithium titanate batteries. The on board storage tanks provide hydrogen to the fuel cells which produce electricity to energize the batteries that power the bus," explains a Burbank info sheet.
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The city installed a hydrogen station in 2006 and currently uses five hydrogen internal combustion engine converted Prius vehicles as part of their fleet.
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