Wrightbus places fuel cell order with Ballard
According to Ballard Power Systems, the FCmove-HD systems will already be delivered to Wrightbus this year. The buses with the fuel cells will then be put into operation next year. The hydrogen fuel cell drives will power single and double-decker buses in the UK and Germany. In Germany, Saarbahn recently ordered 28 hydrogen buses from Wrightbus.
“We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with Wrightbus and support their deployment of an increasing volume of hydrogen-powered transit buses across the UK and Europe,” said Oben Uluc, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, EMEA, at Ballard Power. “We are seeing broader market acceptance of fuel cell buses by European transit operators seeking to decarbonize their operations with a technology approach that enables long range, fast refueling, and scalable refueling infrastructure.”
Ballard recently received its largest order to date. It comes from Polish bus manufacturer Solaris and comprises a total of 1,000 fuel cell modules, which are to be delivered by the end of 2027. Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris, commented on the order for Ballard: “Solaris has become a leader in deploying hydrogen technology in public transport and an experienced partner for European operators. To date, we have delivered nearly 200 hydrogen-powered buses and another over 500 units are in our orderbook for next two years.”
Ballard Power Systems is currently expanding and is planning a new ‘Gigafactory’ in Texas for the production of fuel cell components and systems. Ballard plans to invest around 160 million dollars in the new factory called Ballard Rockwall Giga 1 in Rockwall, Texas.
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