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Starting in late 2002, Daimler-Chrysler began to deliver 30 hydrogen fuel cell powered buses to European bus operators, which are the first commercially sold fuel cell buses. They will be operated in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxemburg, Porto, Stockholm, Stuttgart and Reykjavik. EvoBus, a Daimler-Chrysler subsidiary, will accompany the cities with technical consulting and on-the-spot maintenance. During this period the partners will jointly accumulate and evaluate their experiences and technical findings related to bus operation and the hydrogen infrastructure. This first collation of data based on a whole fleet of buses will be utilized during the further development of fuel cell technology and the infrastructure, in the light of potential future series production.
Fuel cell powered Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban buses will be used. They will have eight compressed hydrogen gas tanks and a fuel cell system located on the roof. The low-floor buses will be 12 meters long, designed to transport up to 70 passengers. They will have an operating range of about 250 kilometers and a maximum operating speed of 80 km per hour. The fuel cell units will be supplied by Xcellsis, a joint subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company and Ballard.
The price will be about US$ 1.2 million per bus, which includes an extensive two-year service package. The participating bus operators also have to provide the hydrogen refueling sites. They will receive financial support in financing the project from the European Union.
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