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Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - JIVE 2 (Joint Initiative for hydrogen Vehicles across Europe 2)

Teaser

Hydrogen fuel cell buses have emerged in recent years as one of the only zero emission alternatives to diesel buses, with the advantage that they do not compromise operations, productivity or quality of service. The ability of fuel cell buses to meet the needs of operators in...

Summary

Hydrogen fuel cell buses have emerged in recent years as one of the only zero emission alternatives to diesel buses, with the advantage that they do not compromise operations, productivity or quality of service.

The ability of fuel cell buses to meet the needs of operators in demanding daily service duties has been demonstrated through various previous and on-going projects. The primary barrier to further adoption of this technology is economic, as there remains a significant premium in the total cost of ownership of fuel cell buses relative to incumbent vehicles.

Recognising the requirement for public subsidy to rebalance the costs and benefits of operating zero emission buses and thus make the business case for adopting fuel cell buses in the near term, the FCH JU allocated a total of 57m euros of funding to support large-scale fuel cell bus projects in its 2016 and 2017 annual work plans.

This project (JIVE 2) is the next phase in this transition to a commercial hydrogen fuel cell bus market and will involve the deployment of 152 fuel cell buses in 7 countries across Europe. Together with vehicles delivered via other projects, this timely initiative will see nearly 400 fuel cell buses introduced to European cities by the early 2020s. This is an important milestone in the context of the commercialisation vision outlined above, and by sustaining the momentum created by previous projects JIVE 2 will create a meaningful market for zero emission technologies and accelerate the commercialisation of fuel cell buses in Europe.

Work performed

During the first period of the JIVE 2 project, partners have largely focused on the procurement of buses and hydrogen refuelling stations in each deployment location. In all cases, the procurement process has been much longer than originally anticipated. All partners have made good progress preparing and, in most cases, publishing their tenders, with one city, Pau placing an order for fuel cell buses and beginning civil engineering works in preparation for the installation of a new hydrogen refuelling station.

Additionally, there have been several changes to deployment sites during the first period. Lisbon, the Province of Flevoland, Southern Sweden, and Wuppertal all joined the project as deployment locations (subject to an ongoing amendment), replacing several initial deployment locations which were unable to secure the co-financing necessary to progress with project activities.

The delay to procurement activities in WP1 has had a knock-on impact on other activities within the project, necessitating the delay of activities in other work packages. By the end of this period, partners have largely secured their co-financing for the fuel cell buses and are working towards confirming orders during the next period and making the further preparations necessary for the beginning of operation.

Key progress during 1st year of the project includes:
- Pau ordered 8 fuel cell buses (5 of which are supported by JIVE 2) and a hydrogen refuelling station.
- The consortium confirmed participation of four new deployment locations for buses – Lisbon (where the deployment will bring a new fuel cell bus supplier to the market), the Province of Flevoland, Wuppertal and Southern Sweden.
- A framework contract for the UK Cluster was awarded, with two bus suppliers (Van Hool and Wrightbus). Buses priced below the €625,000 per bus price target set under JIVE 2 are available via this framework for customers in the UK and throughout Europe.
- Effective and high-profile dissemination work e.g. through the second edition of the Zero Emission Bus Conference organised by Element Energy and Hydrogen Europe on 27-28th Nov 18 in Cologne.
- Effective engagement of operators via the User Group.
- Synchronisation of the JIVE 2 project with preceding JIVE project and the strengthening of knowledge exchange through the joint consortium.
Key findings during the 1st year of the project:
- Procurement processes in JIVE 2 are far longer than anticipated (by at least 12 months) in most cases. The delays are partly caused by the complexities arising from multiple public sector organisations (most of which do not ordinarily procure buses) seeking to collaborate on ordering large fleets of innovative vehicles that will be used by third party operators.
- In terms of meeting the JIVE 2 price target (€625,000 per bus), the findings from early market engagement and procurement exercises in the project to date are mixed. For example, one supplier indicated to some customers that meeting this price target is possible, while others received a contrary message from the same supplier. The price offered in a tender exercise depends on various factors, including the specification, number of buses, deployment location, warranty demands, etc.
- A further finding is the importance of considering the maintenance costs of the buses, i.e. not overly focusing on the up-front price but ensuring that the arrangements (and costs) for on-going support are consistent with the needs of each local project.
- The public sector is not the ideal route to managing complex bus tenders which would usually be managed through bus operators.
- The clustering of orders requires that the individual requirements of different operators be met within a single contract/framework. This requires additional work and adds complexity.
- Consolidated tendering of too many operators leads to conflicts concerning standardisation of the basic bus specification. The common base specification has

Final results

See attachments.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.fuelcellbuses.eu/.