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Perth ends fuel cell bus project
The Western Australian city of Perth has announced that it will be pulling the plug on its three-year trial of fuel cell driven electric buses.
Photo: Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Government of Western Australia.
Perth introduced three zero-emission Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses with a fanfare of publicity in 2004. The buses, which cost the State Government AUS$10 million, attracted attention on the streets of Perth for their exhaust trail of steam.
But although the city authorities lauded the green credentials of the three buses – and the project won several awards – they have now blamed high maintenance costs for making the buses uneconomical to introduce into general circulation.
Perth was one of 12 cities, and the only one in the southern hemisphere, to trial the buses. Other cities included Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Porto, Stockholm, Reykjavik and Stuttgart.
Limited series
The buses are part of a limited series of Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell buses manufactured in Mannheim, Germany by Evobus. EvoBus is a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler.
The fuel cell engines were supplied by Ballard Power Systems and the hydrogen was supplied by BP, from its oil refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia.
Perth traffic. Photo: Karl Schmidt
Decommissioned
A spokesman at Perth’s Department of Planning and Infrastructure said it was not economically viable to retain the prototype hydrogen buses as part of the Transperth fleet. Following the decision not to continue the programme, the buses were decommissioned in September 2007.
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