The buses, which are the first of a 15-strong order which will be fulfilled before the end of the year, are Mercedes-Benz ‘Intouro’ intercity buses which Safra has retrofitted with electric drivetrain components, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage tanks.

The amended legislation will further reduce CO2 emissions from road transport and introduce new targets for 2030, 2035 and 2040. 

Ballard has announced an additional USD 54 million in U.S. federal funding (investment tax credits) for its planned fuel cell production facility in Rockwall Texas. This brings the total in federal funding to USD 94 million, through various U.S. departments including the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and now the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as part of the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit (48C*), funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Four minibuses – Ford ‘E-Transit’ vans retrofitted with Perrone’s ‘TONY’ self-driving hardware – will transport passengers on a 10.8-mile route through the city of Detroit, connecting Michigan Central Station (set to reopen this June) and the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design.

The HVS tractor unit was powered by green hydrogen with the aim of demonstrating its real-world capabilities with each testing phase concentrating on specific aspects of the vehicle design and performance (electric and thermal) in various weather conditions.

The TransMilenio system in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, claims to have an electric bus fleet of over 1,600 vehicles, the second largest in South America behind Santiago in Chile.

The acquisition is part of a EUR54m investment by the National Transport Authority which will fund the replacement of Limerick’s bus fleet with battery-powered vehicles.

“The 5,000 Hydrogen Vehicle Challenge”, a government programme which supported the development of the fuel station, says the opening of the station on Highway 2 marked a “significant milestone” in its project to put 5,000 hydrogen or dual fuel vehicles on the road in Alberta province.

The funding is being allocated to the government’s Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA, now ZEBRA 2) Scheme, initially launched in 2021 to allow local transport authorities to bid for funding for zero-emission buses and supporting infrastructure.

The Department of Energy claims that, by funding these projects, it will facilitate the production of up to 50,000 new medium- and heavy-duty trucks and the supply of enough hydrogen to fuel nearly 170,000 long haul trucks in a single year.

According to the EU, the dates of application depend on vehicle type: “30 months for new types of cars and vans, and 42 months for new cars and vans. 48 months for new types of buses, trucks and trailers, and 60 months for new buses, lorries and trailers. 30 months for new systems, components or separate technical units to be fitted in cars and vans, and 48 months for those to be fitted in buses, lorries and trailers.”

The most recent investment of USD300,000 is the third such (not including the grants) made by the state research authority in Viatec, totalling USD750,000 over six years.