Hydrogen-Powered Bus in Phoenix Awaits New Home Due to Lack of Fuel Infrastructure
In a secluded area of the Phoenix Transit Department’s lot, a bus sits waiting for its journey to begin. This vehicle, unlike others in the fleet, runs on hydrogen, setting it apart as a symbol of the city’s push towards sustainable transportation.
Acquired in 2024, the hydrogen bus was part of Phoenix’s initiative to transition to zero-emission public transport. The bus operates by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell to produce energy for its electric motor. However, despite its advanced technology, the bus remains unused due to a significant hurdle—the absence of hydrogen fuel providers in Phoenix.
The hydrogen bus, which cost the city $1.5 million, was a more expensive choice compared to the $560,000 price tag of gas-powered buses and the $739,000 to $850,000 cost of electric buses, as detailed in a Valley Metro report.
Carmen DeAlba from the Phoenix Public Transit Department explained the issue, stating, “During that time, there were plans of their companies being here that would provide fuel, hydrogen fuel, but because there currently isn’t for X amount of reasons. We just don’t have the infrastructure to provide hydrogen fuel for our bus, so we just decided to stop.”
Originally, Phoenix aimed to purchase six hydrogen fuel-cell buses from New Flyer America in 2023. Due to the fuel supply problem, this plan was scaled back to just one pilot vehicle.
The funding for these buses was sourced from a federal grant under President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $16,362,600 to Phoenix for acquiring hydrogen fuel cell buses, electric buses, charging equipment, and facilitating worker training as part of the city’s zero-emission transition plan, according to the federal grant award.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego attributed the project’s challenges to changes in federal administration. “There was, several years ago, huge momentum for hydrogen fuel in Arizona, incredible economic development announcements in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” Gallego remarked. “With the change in … Washington, D.C., there, many of the announcements have since decided they will not go forward.”
Despite these setbacks, Phoenix continues to strive for a greener future, focusing on battery and hybrid buses as a more immediate solution. DeAlba added, “We don’t know for the future. We can revisit it always later on. But for now we’re more focusing on those battery and hybrid buses.”
Recently, the Phoenix City Council unanimously agreed to sell the idle hydrogen bus. Santa Clara, Calif., has shown interest in acquiring it, with the aim to recover the original investment of over $1.5 million, as confirmed by DeAlba.
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