A zero-emission fuel is now powering Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) buses in Santa Ana, California, thanks to the largest hydrogen transit fueling station in North America, which was jointly developed by Trillium, Air Products, the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), OCTA, California Air Resources Board (CARB), South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Ballard Fuel Systems and New Flyer.
The refueling station, located at OCTA’s bus depot, is equipped with Air Products’ SmartFuel® hydrogen fueling technology, design, and equipment. OCTA’s current hydrogen fuel cell fleet is comprised of 10 New Flyer buses, but the new facility has a bus fueling capacity for up to 50 buses. In addition, the station can fill up a transit bus in six to 10 minutes, similar to diesel or CNG bus filling rates, making this the only zero-emission fuel choice that allows fleets to operate as usual.
Trillium and Air Products will operate and maintain the station. “Trillium is excited to open this hydrogen fueling station, which will allow Santa Ana buses to run efficiently and produce no tailpipe emissions,” said JP Fjeld-Hansen, vice president of Trillium. “We appreciate that so many customers are trusting us to build their clean, renewable energy fueling systems. As more consumers demand clean, renewable energy, we stand ready to help them tackle these opportunities.”
“This station sets a new milestone for bus fueling capacity and demonstrates other continuing innovations in hydrogen fueling. While we have designed and built hydrogen fueling stations around the world for transit agencies, this station brings our advanced fast-fill technology to transit buses by taking advantage of our unique cryogenic compressors and specifically designed cooling system as well as our liquid hydrogen supply position,” explained Eric Guter, general manager, Americas Growth Platforms at Air Products.
CTE, a nonprofit that advocates for clean, sustainable, innovative transportation and energy technologies, managed the administration of the project, particularly as it related to the funds secured through California Climate Investments. “The OCTA station will bring meaningful, healthy change for the climate and the people of Santa Ana,” commented Dan Raudebaugh, executive director of CTE.
Jack Kitowski, chief of CARB’s Mobile Source Control Division, added: “A zero-emission public bus fleet dramatically reduces tailpipe emissions from buses in low-income communities and provides multiple benefits, especially for transit-dependent riders. Fleets that transition to clean energy sources like hydrogen reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and help achieve cleaner air for all of us.”
Source: Trillium/Air Products
