Ballard Picks Up Fuel Cell Bus Maintenance Extensions

2 April 2007

Ballard Power Systems has secured contract extensions with DaimlerChrysler to provide field service to Mercedes-Benz fuel cell bus fleets in Hamburg and Amsterdam in 2007 and 2008.

This is the second extension for these two city-partners of the HyFLEET:CUTE demonstration program, a follow on to the Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) program established in 2003. (Earlier post.) /p>

The extension of the nine Hamburg and three Amsterdam buses reflect the positive experience our customers have had with the HyFLEET:CUTE program. The performance of the European fuel cell buses, particularly with respect to availability and durability, has far exceeded expectations. Several fuel cell stacks have run for more than 4,000 hours, and availability of the fuel cell drive systems for the Hamburg and Amsterdam buses averaged 98% in 2006."

—Noordin Nanji, Ballard’s Vice President and Chief Customer Officer

Continued operation of the fuel cell buses over the next year, in addition to the ongoing operation of fuel cell buses in Beijing, China; Perth, Australia; and Santa Clara, California, will provide Ballard with valuable information about how the fuel cell buses perform in different geographies and climates. Since 2003, Ballard-powered buses have operated for more than 115,000 hours, clocked more than 1.7 million kilometers and safely delivered more than 6.0 million passengers to their destinations.