Engineering news
The £21million Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project, which has seen Europe's largest fuel cell bus fleet take to the streets and the creation of the UK's first hydrogen production and bus refuelling station, has marked its first year in operation.
In the first year, the Van Hool vehicles travelled 250,000 miles and carried more than 440,000 passengers on the First X40 and Stagecoach routes.
The hydrogen production and refuelling station, which is owned and operated by BOC, a member of the Linde Group, has refuelled the vehicles more than 1,600 times.
The buses, which produce no harmful emissions and produce only water vapour at the tailpipe, have proven to be almost four times more fuel efficient than their diesel equivalents.
The project, which has backing from Europe, the UK government and the Scottish government, as well as a range of private sector partners, is the most high-profile of a range of projects designed to create a hydrogen economy in the city.
Led by Aberdeen City Council, the project is testing the economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen transport technologies. Based on the success seen so far, the council is looking at options to increase the size of the fleet.
Councillor Barney Crockett, Aberdeen City Council's lead member for hydrogen, said: "In the space of just a year since we moved into the operational phase, the project has outperformed expectations. It's been very well received by the bus drivers and members of the public, and has created a real buzz about the city's hydrogen capabilities.
"These vehicles have replaced 10 diesel buses on the city's streets, cutting the amount of toxins polluting our air on a daily basis and helping us work towards making Aberdeen a cleaner, greener city, with a clear focus on low-carbon technologies.
"On the strength of the project, we've managed to introduce other hydrogen vehicles to Aberdeen and have successfully cemented our position as a leading hydrogen city.”
The anniversary coincides with the first day of Hydrogen Week, which will see a series of events taking place across the UK. Aberdeen City Council and car club partner Co-wheels unveiled two hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35s, making Co-wheels the first car club in Europe to have fuel cell vehicles in its fleet.