Alexander Dennis Add Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses To Their Product Range

Yesterday, the UK Bus Manufacturer Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) announced that they would be adding hydrogen fuel cell buses to their product range and they are ready to take orders for the new bus. The vehicle has been developed on the existing Enviro400 double decker bus. There has been a development phase of over two years when ADL has worked closely with London based Arcola Energy who have looked at the integration of the hydrogen fuel cell into the bus.

ADL already offers a range of low and zero emission buses but they believe that “hydrogen fuel cell technology can offer long range zero emission capability if suitable infrastructure can be put in place with sustainably sourced hydrogen.  This could offer particular benefits for high capacity double deck buses.”  The news is also significant given ADL’s place  in the bus and coach market in Western Europe.

A prototype has been through several design iterations and has completed route shadowing trials in a number of UK cities. The bus is shown in the photograph below in front of Scott’s Antarctic ship, HMS Discovery and next to the newly opened Victoria and Albert Design Museum in Dundee.

ADL will join Wrightbus as suppliers of fuel cell double deck buses -Wrightbus presented its prototype in 2016 – and the entry of ADL into the market indicates a growing number of manufacturers entering the fuel cell bus market.  At a recent General Assembly of the Hydrogen Fuel Cells Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU) Regions and Cities Initiative six manufacturers  outlined their fuel cell bus offer.  At the major Fuel Cell Bus Conference in Cologne today, nine manufacturers were represented.

The entry of  volume bus manufacturers into the market combined with joint procurement of buses through the FCH-JU JIVE projects could lead to a reduction in the capital costs on fuel cell buses.