{"id":108963,"date":"2020-11-10T12:21:22","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T09:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/catching-the-number-1-aberdeen-trials-hydrogen-buses\/"},"modified":"2020-11-10T12:21:22","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T09:21:22","slug":"catching-the-number-1-aberdeen-trials-hydrogen-buses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/catching-the-number-1-aberdeen-trials-hydrogen-buses\/","title":{"rendered":"#Catching the number 1: Aberdeen trials hydrogen buses"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Catching the number 1: Aberdeen trials hydrogen buses<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"The
\n The 15 hydrogen-powered buses emit water vapour instead of carbon monoxide
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The Scottish city of Aberdeen enjoyed a boom after the discovery of oil in the North Sea in the 1960s, propelling it to a central role in the industry.<\/p>\n

Now it’s preparing to launch a fleet of the world’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker buses, as it tries to reduce air pollution and transform itself into a green economy.<\/p>\n

The 15 vehicles emit water vapour instead of carbon monoxide and are in the final stages of testing before being put into service on the city’s most popular routes.<\/p>\n

The buses will use an existing hydrogen production and refuelling station that was opened in 2015 to fill up with the universe’s most abundant element.<\/p>\n

“At the moment Aberdeen produces 500 kilograms of green hydrogen every day,” said Philip Bell, Aberdeen City Council’s hydrogen spokesman.<\/p>\n

“Our plan is to have a hydrogen hub in three years that will produce three and a half tonnes of the gas a day,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n

The green and white-liveried buses, built by the Wrightbus company in Northern Ireland, cost \u00a3500,000 ($658,000, 555,000 euros) each.<\/p>\n

They complement Aberdeen’s existing fleet of hydrogen- and electric-powered council vans and road sweepers, said Bell.<\/p>\n

The city hopes the \u00a38.3-million project, part-funded by the Scottish Government and the European Union, will help to develop a hydrogen industry in the region as demand grows.<\/p>\n

Hydrogen technology<\/a> has been present for several years but demand for the gas has grown more than threefold since 1975, according to the International Energy Agency.<\/p>\n

The gas can be produced through electrolysis, which involves running an electrical current through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen, cutting carbon emissions. <\/p>\n

But development of the infrastructure needed is slow, holding back widespread adoption of the technology.<\/p>\n

Projects using hydrogen technology have increased in frequency as companies and governments seek to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, particularly from road transport.<\/p>\n

Efficiency and refuelling<\/b><\/p>\n

The world’s first hydrogen-powered bus rapid transit system was deployed in the city of Pau, in southwest France, in 2019.<\/p>\n

The system, dubbed Febus, uses 18-metre-long (60 feet) Van Hool buses on a dedicated six-kilometre (3.7-mile) line in the centre of the city.<\/p>\n

Scotland is currently testing the world’s first hydrogen-fuelled ferry at the European Marine Energy Centre on the island of Orkney, off the country’s far northeast coast.<\/p>\n

A hydrogen-powered train is also being tested in England, with the aim of carrying passengers by the end of next year.<\/p>\n

In the UK, hydrogen fuel costs between \u00a310 and \u00a315 per kilogram, with prices varying depending on the availability of refuelling stations.<\/p>\n

According to Wrightbus, the hydrogen-powered double-deckers can be maintained and refilled for the same cost as a diesel bus.<\/p>\n

David Phillips, operations director for First Aberdeen bus company, said the vehicles are as efficient as their electric equivalents, and refuelling takes less than 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

They are also quieter and provide smoother acceleration than conventional buses, he added.<\/p>\n

“It’s a chance to look at transport general<\/a>ly around how we can encourage a model shift,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The important thing with the project is that we need to understand the reliability and performance of these vehicles.”\n <\/p>\n\n

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Airbus aims for hydrogen-powered plane by 2035\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2020 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Catching the number 1: Aberdeen trials hydrogen buses (2020, November 10)
\n retrieved 10 November 2020
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news<\/a>\/2020-11-aberdeen-trials-hydrogen-buses.html<\/p>\n

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