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Hydrogen bus route
The hydrogen-powered buses will operate on route RV1 between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway. We have chosen a busy central London route because we are keen to ensure Londoners and visitors to the Capital know about the steps we're taking to reduce our impact on the environment.
We're also keen to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to travel on a hydrogen bus.
Our suppliers
American company ISE will supply the 10 hydrogen buses to London, working with fuel cell supplier Ballard and Wrightbus who manufacture the bodywork.
We awarded the contract to operate the buses to First Group, who will run all 10 buses on the RV1 route from Covent Garden to Tower Gateway.
Air Products will supply the hydrogen and the refuelling equipment. They will also provide specialist maintenance of the equipment.
Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is at the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development around the world.
Refuelling facilities
First Group has submitted a planning application to the Olympic Delivery Authority for a specially designed maintenance and refuelling facility for the 10 buses.
A decision is expected in late 2008 and updates will be posted here.
The refuelling facility will be constructed within a normal diesel bus depot on Temple Mills Lane in Waltham Forest. The 10 hydrogen buses will be garaged here overnight and refuelled for the next day's operation.
Routine maintenance will also be carried out at this garage, in a designated hydrogen maintenance facility.
A key objective of the project is to demonstrate that hydrogen-powered buses can be housed with standard diesel buses, helping to prove their long-term viability for bus operations. The 10 hydrogen buses will therefore be housed with up to 150 diesel buses.
Construction is due to begin in summer 2009.
Hydrogen source
The liquid hydrogen, which is derived from natural gas reformation and is liquefied, will be supplied by Air Products from its facility in Rotterdam.
The company will use vehicles that are capable of supplying low, medium or high pressure gas as well as liquid hydrogen using a single trailer. The trailer is replaced as and when required, to maintain the required levels of hydrogen needed to keep the buses running continuously.
The Air Products system uses a new delivery mechanism that transports the hydrogen as liquid but then vaporises the hydrogen into high pressure storage on site, ready for use in the buses.
Each delivery vehicle has enough hydrogen for approximately 15 days of expected bus operation.
Hydrogen safety
All components and systems undergo rigorous tests to gain full certification and each vehicle must pass all the same tests as a conventional vehicle, to ensure a comparable level of road safety.
Stringent safety measures are in place for containers carrying hydrogen gas. They are certified for full road use and comply with all the appropriate codes and standards.
There were no safety incidents involving the three fuel cell buses which were used during the three-year trial in central London.
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