VANCOUVER—When it comes to fuel cell electric buses, Europe, Asia and the U.S. appear to be ahead of the curve in adopting infrastructure to support clean transportation, according to a B.C.-based company relying entirely on exports globally.

A line of fuel cell electric buses powered by engines made by Ballard Power Systems has passed the “rigorous” testing at the Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center in Pennsylvania under a program established by the Federal Transit Administration.

Roughly 10 fuel cell electric buses in California have been running on engines powered by B.C.-based Ballard for several years in cities like Coachella Valley, San Francisco and greater Los Angeles. The latest testing will position it for growth in California, said Rob Campbell, Ballard’s chief commercial officer.

The company, which generates 100 per cent of its sales through exports, hasn’t always had a smooth ride in Canada. In 2014, BC Transit sold off its 20-hydrogen-bus fleet for its costly operation. The fleet, powered by Ballard engines used during the 2010 Winter Olympics, was worth $90 million.

At the time, Campbell explained, there wasn’t any locally available hydrogen so it had to be brought in from eastern Canada making the fuel “quite expensive.” Each engine costs about $200,000 (U.S) and a bus powered by Ballard costs just under $1 million, he added.

While Canada is playing “catch up” on its electric fuel infrastructure, Campbell has seen countries like China, Japan and Germany make significant investments in alternative fuel vehicles.

“China has more of a sense of urgency around the air quality as well as climate change than in the past and with their size of market that’s translating to very significant projects, contracts and opportunities.”

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Catherine Kargas, chair of Electric Mobility Canada, acknowledged that more transit agencies in Canada are looking at electric technologies but remains behind countries like China and Singapore.

Several possible factors could be involved, she said, including purchase incentives that are available to Canadian transit agencies versus transit agencies in other parts of the world.

“For example, in California transit agencies are subsidized in the purchase of electric technologies at a higher rate than the purchase of diesel … It would explain the quicker adoption.”

According to Ballard, the El Dorado National bus line that has passed the Altoona testing will be eligible for a $300,000 (U.S.) incentive under California’s Hybrid and Zero- Emission Truck and Bus voucher project.

Kargas also acknowledged that it will take time for consumers to benefit from “economies of scale” on fuel cell electric engines.

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“For a battery electric bus, if you want a DC fast charger for that bus, you can do it with less than $100,000, that in part explains why transit agencies in this country have adopted more battery electric buses and not so much fuel cell electric buses.”

According to Global Mass Transit, the market for electric buses in Canada is in a “nascent phase” expected to “grow as the technology matures and plans announced materialize.” The price of electric buses is a “major hindrance to its large scale adoption for public transport service.”

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