VANCOUVER and LONDON, Aug. 29,
2017 /PRNewswire/ - Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP;
TSX: BLDP) today announced that a fuel cell electric bus powered by
Ballard's FCveloCity®-HD6 fuel cells has achieved a new
durability record with more than 25,000 hours of revenue service.
This is equivalent to operating a bus on a 14-hour daily schedule,
5-days per week for 6.9 years with no significant maintenance to
the fuel cell stack, a core engine component.
The bus – and several others nearing the 25,000-hour operating
threshold – are part of a Transport for London fleet of 8 fuel cell buses, all powered
by Ballard FCveloCity® engines. These buses, originally
funded under the Clean Hydrogen in European Cities (CHIC) fuel cell
bus program, have been carrying paying passengers on London's Tower Gateway route since
2010.
"The achievement of 25,000 hours of revenue service is an
important industry and corporate milestone," said Rob Campbell, Ballard's Chief Commercial
Officer. "Zero-emission fuel cell propulsion systems for heavy duty
vehicles such as transit buses have proven highly reliable in
demanding applications. We are now moving into commercial scaling
as market demand for fuel cell electric buses reaches an inflection
point in key global markets. Ballard's cumulative learning through
our unparalleled field experience is a major competitive
differentiator."
Ballard's seven generations of FCveloCity® fuel cell
engines have been deployed in buses in 15 countries on 5 continents
during the past 10 years. Over this period Ballard has worked with
13 bus manufacturers to develop a variety of fuel cell bus
configurations that have been deployed in a wide range of climatic
conditions and operated under a host of demanding duty cycles.
Ballard-powered fuel cell buses have now traveled more than 11
million kilometers (6.8 million miles) cumulatively in revenue
service globally, equivalent to circling the globe 275 times.
Ballard is seeing increased market demand for
FCveloCity® fuel cell engines of various sizes for use
in a number of different vehicle types, including buses, trucks and
rail. Fuel cell electric buses manufactured and integrated by
Ballard's partners and equipped with Ballard FCveloCity®
engines typically offer a host of important attributes,
including:
- 400 kilometer (250 mile) range between refuelings;
- Rapid refueling, typically about 7 minutes;
- Improved fuel economy compared to diesel buses (1.5x) and CNG
buses (more than 2x);
- Route flexibility, with no need for en-route recharging, such
as overhead catenary wiring; and
- Reduced noise and smoother ride for improved passenger riding
experience.
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems
(NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) provides clean energy products that
reduce customer costs and risks, and helps customers solve
difficult technical and business challenges in their fuel cell
programs. To learn more about Ballard, please visit
www.ballard.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements concerning
anticipated product performance, customer benefits and market
demand for our products. These forward-looking statements reflect
Ballard's current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any such
forward-looking statements are based on Ballard's assumptions
relating to its financial forecasts and expectations regarding its
product development efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market
demand.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause
Ballard's actual results to be materially different, including
general economic and regulatory changes, detrimental reliance on
third parties, successfully achieving our business plans and
achieving and sustaining profitability. For a detailed discussion
of these and other risk factors that could affect Ballard's future
performance, please refer to Ballard's most recent Annual
Information Form. Readers should not place undue reliance on
Ballard's forward-looking statements and Ballard assumes no
obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward
looking statements, other than as required under applicable
legislation.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to buy securities. The Ballard
Common Shares have not been registered under the United States
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any
other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an
applicable exemption from registration requirements.
SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.