New Long Range Zero Emission Bus Unveiled at Pioneering Transit Property

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 02, 2018 -- SunLine Transit Agency put into service today a new zero emission bus that will have the capability to cover any route in its service territory – even with the air conditioner operating at maximum levels in the middle of the summer. 

With funding from the private sector, the Federal Transit Administration, and the California Energy Commission, SunLine Transit unveiled a bus that will be powered by batteries. This electric bus varies from others in that it will have a small fuel cell on board to charge the battery and enable a 250-300-mile daily route. The only “emission” from the hydrogen fuel cell is water.

SunLine Transit agency has been a leading innovator in the national transit industry. This bus represents the 8^th generation bus utilizing fuel cell technology placed in revenue service in the Coachella Valley.

“After testing several different fuel cell technologies over the years, we believe we may have identified the configuration that will allow the transit and heavy-truck industry to successfully deploy fuel cell technology over the next decade,” said Lauren Skiver, General Manager of SunLine Transit Agency.

Funding from the Federal Transit Administration and the California Energy Commission allowed the industry team to develop and integrate an advanced fuel cell design that lowers the over-all cost of the bus by 70 percent. The bus, which meets the federal government’s strict “Buy America” requirements, will be produced by ElDorado National, which is based in Riverside, California. The 80-kW fuel cell was built by US Hybrid which is based in Torrance, California. BAE Systems is the over-all system integrator and provider of the powertrain and electronics.

“We greatly appreciate the support provided by both the Federal Transit Administration and the California Energy Commission for this project. The funding from these two agencies enabled the team to develop a new pathway for a full service zero emission bus. This bus, tested first by SunLine Transit, will provide yet another option for transit districts looking to make the shift to zero emissions,” said CALSTART President and CEO, John Boesel

About CALSTART
CALSTART, North America’s leading clean transportation technologies and solutions consortium, serves as a catalyst for creating jobs, cleaning the air, reducing fuel consumption and mitigating the threat of climate change. CALSTART is an industry organization with more than 185-member companies ranging from Tesla Motors to UPS to General Motors. Since its inception in 1992, CALSTART has helped develop and manage more than $500 million in clean transportation technology programs. The organization is headquartered in Pasadena, and has offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Colorado and New York.  www.calstart.org

Contact: John Boesel, CALSTART 626-744-5607, [email protected]