San Francisco Bay Space’s AC Transit orders extra 20 fuel-cell buses from New Flyer

The Alameda Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) has placed an order with New Flyer of America Inc. for 20 zero-emission, hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric 40-foot high-performance Xcelsior CHARGE H2 buses. The purchase was made through California’s State Cooperative Procurement, for which New Flyer was selected as the top-rated approved supplier in 2019.

The bus offers up to 350 miles of range on a single refueling; Refill times range from 6-20 minutes, depending on the bus model and operating conditions. The fuel cell bus uses a battery-dominant hybrid architecture in which the batteries are large enough to meet all of the vehicle’s performance requirements, while the fuel cell acts as a continuous battery charger to increase the range of the vehicle.

The heat dissipated by fuel cells is captured by a heat exchanger to complement the HVAC system.

The contract is funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and follows AC Transit’s purchase of 10 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and five battery electric buses from NFI in 2019 and has a proven track record of promoting AC Transit’s Clean Corridors Plan through 2023 ).

The Innovative Clean Transit Regulation of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires all California authorities to switch to zero-emission bus fleets by 2040.

AC Transit, based in Oakland, is one of the largest bus-only systems in America, serving the Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, offering more than 52 million trips annually.

New Flyer is the only manufacturer to offer both a 40-foot and a 60-foot fuel cell electric powered model that is eligible for federal funding.