FALLS CHURCH – Close to 600 thousand hydrogen fuel cell buses and minibuses will be in service by 2035, according to a market research study published by Information Trends. The study, “Global Market for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses,” covers hydrogen buses and other public road transportation vehicles.
Hydrogen buses have been the primary driver of the fuel cell vehicle market, said Naqi Jaffery, President of Information Trends. These buses were being used way before other types of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles became commercially available.
An entire fleet of buses can be deployed in a city by building a handful of hydrogen stations, Mr. Jaffery said. These buses have shorter fueling times and can travel longer distances. Moreover, they have better maneuverability because they are significantly lighter than battery-electric buses.
The deployment of hydrogen in fuel cell buses makes the benefits of the technology self-evident, increasing people’s comfort level, Mr. Jaffery said. As these vehicles keep gaining greater societal acceptance, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle ecosystem keeps undergoing constant expansion.
According to the study, governmental zero-emission mandates are contributing to the growth of hydrogen fuel cell buses in several countries. The use of these vehicles results in a significant reduction in pollution, a prospect that is extremely attractive to local governments.
Hydrogen fuel cell buses are more expensive than battery-electric and diesel buses, the study says. But hydrogen fuel cells contain a greater amount of energy-per-unit mass than lithium-ion batteries or diesel fuel. Because fuel cell stacks are relatively light, they do not add significantly to the weight of the vehicle which is an important consideration for buses.
This study is part of a series of publications by Information Trends on various aspects of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market. Information Trends offers affordable subscription services to companies that have an interest in ongoing developments in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry.
