Metro Magazine

APR 2013

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GREEN REPORT ventures will likely largely depend on how proven the technology is/will be; and the availability of funding to pay for other hydrogen facilities and vehicles." MINING DATA Last June, Austin, Texas-based Capital Metro and the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics (UTCEM) introduced a hydrogen hybrid bus into operations among the UT shuttles as a part of a year-long demonstration to test and further refne fuel-cell technology for public transit. "We have done quite a bit in terms of greening the organization, and looking at clean fuels is certainly one of those, so it just ft in with what both our community and our agency are working on," says Todd Hemingson, VP, planning, for Capital Metro. The Austin one-year demo represents the second phase of the project supported through the FTA's National Fuel Cell Bus Program and managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE). Te bus previously operated in Columbia, S.C. "What FTA really wants out of this project is data," explains Erik Bigelow, project manager, technology development, at CTE. "FTA wants to know how efficient the buses are and how available they are, because both of those factors play a huge part into the economic decision on whether to go for an advanced technology bus [in the future]." Te prototype bus, built by Proterra from the ground up as a zero-emission bus, has plug-in rechargeable batteries, a hydrogen fuel-cell system and an efcient all-electric drivetrain. Water vapor is the only emission. The bus will alternate among the Forty Acres and Intramural Fields routes. "When this bus rolls on the street, it is actually replacing one of our regular buses," says Andrew Murphy, quality assurance manager for Capital Metro. "By doing that, we didn't have to add a driver and are not incurring a huge expense, so we are able to participate in a program like this without having to outlay a bunch of money." Te bus will be fueled daily at a stateof-the-art hydrogen fueling station on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, the frst of its kind in Texas. Te fueling station allows for the on-site generation, compression, storage and dispensing of hydrogen. Data collection during the demonstration is also being reported to the FTA and the NREL for further analysis. FUEL CONVERSION In coordination w ith the NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland RTA launched its hydrogen bus project in January. RTA worked with Sierra Lobo, a Glenn contractor, to install a hydrogen fueling station at its Hayden Garage in East Cleveland, where the bus is based. Te garage already had fueling equipment for CNG, including 50 sensors to monitor the tanks. "We were able to utilize those CNG CENTRAL OHIO MOVES AWAY FROM DIESEL The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is in the midst of a $76 million renovation of its McKinley Avenue FixedRoute Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility as part of its transition from ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel to CNG. The facility is scheduled to begin operations this spring, 24 < mETRO mAGAZINE APRIL 2013 and the agency just received its first 30 Gillig CNG buses in February. The new buses will be integrated into the fleet's rotation once the necessary vehicle maintenance training and certifications are complete. In 2011, COTA conducted a study to consider potential benefits of switching to CNG to power its fixed-route bus fleet. The study compared costs of CNG versus diesel fuel, operational and maintenance expenses, market forces and infrastructure costs. In keeping with COTA's "Going Green" program, environmental impacts, particularly emissions, were also evaluated. COTA officials also visited and studied other public transit systems operating CNG fleets. Later that year, the agency made the decision to move forward with the transition to CNG and updated existing plans for the renovation of the McKinley Operations facility to include CNG compatible modifications. The transition to a completely CNG fleet will be a 12-year process that will occur as coaches are retired and replaced and additional coaches are purchased as part of COTA's ongoing service expansion program. The transition will also require remodeling with upgrades for CNG at several COTA facilities including a second CNG fueling station at its Fields Avenue Fixed-Route Bus Facility. metro-magazine.com

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