Development of a Fuel Cell Bus
Objectives:
This project involves the development of a single deck fuel cell bus in collaboration with Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit. Through the fuel cell bus platform developed in this project, it’s our aims to:
- Develop the technical know-how for the fuel cell bus design, operation, testing and maintenance.
- Collect data concerning safety and operating behaviour of the fuel cell bus under differing conditions on Singapore roads
- Develop relevant standards for fuel cell and/or electric vehicles operations.
Significance of fuel cell vehicles:
In Singapore, the bus network is an important and integral component of the public transportation system. Unfortunately, the buses are also one of the major emission sources in Singapore. In 2005, the transport sector alone contributed 19% of Singapore’s carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, more than 3500 buses are in service on Singapore roads every day. This number will grow significantly if Singapore’s population expands to the targeted 6 millions. It is of great industrial (and social) significance to develop extremely low emission buses for Singapore’s public transportation system, and fuel cell bus is a viable option because the use of fuel cells for transportation applications provides very significant emission reductions. Table 1 shows a comparison of emissions by conventional and fuel cell vehicles.
Table 1: A comparison of emissions by conventional and fuel cell vehicles
| Emissions |
Conventional gasoline powered passenger cars |
Conventional gasoline powered light trucks |
Conventional diesel transit buses |
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles |
| NOx |
0.5904 g/km |
0.7583g/km |
7.7688 g/km |
0 |
| SO2 |
0.0044 g/km |
0.0060g/km |
0.0133 g/km |
0 |
| CO2 |
299.335g/km |
317.589g/km |
1393.847 g/km |
0 |
Figure 1: System Structure of the Fuel Cell Bus
Technical specifications of the fuel cell bus:
Bus dimension: length 11980 × width 2550 × height 3450 mm (Single deck bus)
Max speed: 80km/h
Acceleration: 0-50km/h 21.7 sec.
Max grade ability: 20%
Driving range per filling: ≥ 150km
Hydrogen Consumption: 7.75kg/100km
Driving range per filling: ≥ 150km for 200-bar H2 tank
≥ 250km for 350-bar H2 tank
The key feature of the fuel cell bus is the hybrid fuel cell-battery system. Its operation can be summarized as:
- Normal operation (Continuous Power Demand):-The fuel cell bus will be powered by the fuel cell and the battery system will be charged.
- Acceleration (Peak Power Demand):- The fuel cell bus will be powered by both fuel cell and battery system.
Figure 2: Hybrid Power Supply
