New hydrogen buses for Amsterdam

Amsterdam will be getting hydrogen-powered buses again at the end of 2010. Following on from the three hydrogen-powered buses that ran from 2003 to 2006 in the context of the European CUTE project, the GVB will bring two Phileas buses into service at the end of the year.

 The Gemeentelijke Vervoer Bedrijf [Municipal Transport Company] (GVB) in Amsterdam will be running hydrogen-powered buses again from the end of 2010. In this way the GVB wants to contribute to the development of hydrogen as a clean source of energy. The buses will be built by VDL/APTS.

The capital has already had experience with fuel cell buses, the GVB having run three of them previously. This was in the period 2003 to 2006, in the context of Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE), which involved several European cities. The purpose of the CUTE project was to demonstrate the practical possibilities of running on hydrogen and to stimulate public acceptance of hydrogen. The buses were removed from the timetable and dismantled when their technology became obsolete.

The new Phileas buses run on the electricity that is produced by the fuel cell. Only water vapour comes out of the exhaust, and thanks to the electric motor the buses are free from noise and vibration. The fuel cell cuts down on the emission of CO2 and particulates and reduces urban noise. The Phileas is a hybrid fuel cell bus, and as well as a fuel cell and batteries has ultracapacitors (super energy cells), which can store excess energy until it is needed. The bus is therefore twice as economical with energy, and furthermore its performance when accelerating is improved. The excess electricity generated in the old buses could not be stored.

The Phileas buses cost six million euros each. They are being paid for by the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (four million euros), the Amsterdam Urban Region (one million euros) and the Municipality of Amsterdam (half a million euros). VDL/APTS is also contributing half a million euros. The RKV transport company in Cologne will be running two identical buses.