The outcomes of the EcoBus trial suggest that hydrogen is a viable fuel and has the potential to be part of a sustainable transport energy mix in the medium to long term, particularly for use in return-to-depot public transport fleets.

Operations

At the conclusion of the trial, the EcoBuses had travelled approximately 258,000km, consumed over 46 tonnes of hydrogen and carried over 320,000 passengers. 

All participants of the trial agreed that the EcoBuses had performed beyond expectation and by the end of the trial the buses had achieved reliability similar to that of the conventional CNG buses. While there were some difficulties with the reliability of the refuelling station, this improved as the trial progressed.

The EcoBus trial has been important in providing an extensive data set against which other vehicles can be compared. Information collected during the trial has (through the CUTE partnership) assisted bus and fuel cell engine manufacturers to further develop fuel cell technology. 

Access the full trial operations report.

Environmental outcomes

Understanding the potential environmental benefits of Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses was a key component of the EcoBus trial. In order to accurately measure the environmental footprint of the new EcoBuses, a life cycle analysis (LCA) was conducted by Murdoch University.

The life cycle assessment (LCA) evaluated the hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell buses in relation to the existing diesel and CNG bus transportation systems. The LCA models were used to determine the overall environmental footprint and energy demand by studying all phases of the complete transportation system, including the fuel infrastructure, bus manufacturing, operation and end-of-life disposal.

The LCA found that the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the fuel cell bus system ranked slightly worse than diesel and slightly better than CNG. This was due to the method of hydrogen production used in the trial. While the GWP profile of the diesel and CNG bus systems were dominated by the operation phase (particularly tailpipe emissions) the GWP for fuel cell bus systems was instead dominated by the fuel production process (which involved the bi product of an oil refinery process). Production of hydrogen from renewable sources would have substantially lowered the GWP for the fuel cell buses, providing them with a significant advantage over CNG and diesel vehicles.

Access the full life cycle analysis report.