U.S. Zero Emission Bus Evaluation Results

Leslie EudyNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryCaFCP Bus TeamMeetingCaFCP Bus Team MeetingDec 16, 2015

Presentation Overview

Summary of results from two recent reports:

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Report complete and posted on NREL site Report in review by CARB

ZEB Evaluation Objectives• Validate zero‐emission bus (ZEB) performance and cost compared to DOE/DOT 

targets and conventional technologies

• Document progress and “lessons learned” on implementing fuel cell systems in p ptransit operations to address barriers to market acceptance 

CurrentFCEBTargets* Units 2016 Target Ultimate Target

Bus lifetime Years / miles 12/500,000 12/500,000

Powerplant lifetime Hours 18,000 25,000

Bus availability % 85 90y %

Roadcall frequency(Bus/fuel cell system)

Miles between road call 3,500/15,000 4,000/20,000

Operation time Hours per day/ days per week 20/7 20/7p days per week

Maintenance cost $/mile 0.75 0.40

Fuel economy Miles per diesel 8 8

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Fuel economy gallon equivalent 8 8

* Fuel Cell Technologies Program Record # 12012, Sep 2012, www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/12012_fuel_cell_bus_targets.pdf

Technology Readiness Levels

Manufacturer teams for ZEBs currently operating in the United States

Bus OEM Length (ft)

Fuel Cell System Hybrid System Design Strategy Energy Storage TRL Level

Van Hool 40 US HybridSiemens ELFA integrated by

Van HoolFuel cell dominant Lithium-based batteries 7

ElDorado 40 Ballard BAE Systems Fuel cell dominant Lithium based batteries 7ElDorado 40 Ballard BAE Systems Fuel cell dominant Lithium-based batteries 7

Proterra 35 Hydrogenics Proterra Battery dominant

FCEBLithium-titanate batteries 6

EVAmerica 32 Ballard Embedded Power Battery dominant FCEB Lithium-titanate batteries 6

P t 35 N/A P t B tt l t i Lithi tit t b tt i 7

4

Proterra 35 N/A Proterra Battery electric Lithium-titanate batteries 7

BYD 40 N/A BYD Battery Electric Iron-phosphate 6 - 7

Data included in Presentation

FCEB Data Summary for 2015

FCEB Identifier ACT ZEBA  SL AFCBTransit Agency AC Transit SunLine

ACT ZEBA

Specifications for TRL 7 FCEBs included in data summary

Transit Agency AC Transit SunLineNumber of Buses 12 4Bus OEM Van Hool ElDorado NationalBus length/height 40 ft / 136 in 40 ft / 140 inFuel Cell OEM US Hybrid BallardModel PureMotion 120 FCvelocity, HD6Power (kW) 120 150

Hybrid SystemSiemens ELFA, 

integrated by Van Hool

BAE Systems HybriDrive

SL AFCBHoolDesign strategy FC dominant FC dominantEnergy Storage ‐ OEM EnerDel A123

Type Li‐ionNanophosphate

Li‐ion

SL AFCB

Capacity 17.4 kWh 11 kWh# cylinders 8 8Capacity (kg) /  Pressure (Bar) 40 / 350 50 / 350

5

Top Fuel Cell Powerplant exceeds 20,000 Hours

30,000

/ l

Total hours accumulated on each FC powerplant (FCPP) as of 9/30/15

71% of FCPPs 

20,000

25,000DOE/FTA Ultimate Target

DOE/FTA 2016 Target

over 10,000 hours

15,000

,

otal

Hou

rs

DOE/FTA 2016 Target

5,000

10,000

T Average: 10,341

0

5,000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

6

AC Transit SunLineNREL cdp_busCreated Oct‐26‐15

Average Bus Availability 

M thl b il bilit

90

100

DOE/DOT Target

Monthly bus availability  

60

70

80 Transit Target

40

50

60

Perc

ent

10

20

30

Average availability: 73%FCPP A il bilit 91%

0

10 FCPP Availability: 91%

7

Average ACT ZEBA SL AFCB FC System onlyNREL cdp_busCreated Sep‐3‐15

Availability = planned operation days compared to actual operation days

Reasons for Unavailability by Siteb

Fuel Cell System

41%Bus-related

PM4%

ACT ZEBA Number %FC System 448 41Hybrid propulsion 88 8Traction batteries 88 8

41%

Hybrid Propulsion

8%Batteries

8%

39% Bus maintenance 427 39Preventive maint. 46 4Total unavailable days 1097 100Total planned days 4380

PM3%

ACT ZEBA SL AFCB Number %FC System 54 21Hybrid propulsion 95 37

Fuel Cell System

21%Bus-related29%

3% Hybrid propulsion 95 37Traction batteries 28 11Bus maintenance 75 29Preventive maint. 7 3Total unavailable days 259 100

Hybrid Propulsion

36%

Batteries11%

Total unavailable days 259 100Total planned days 920

Unavailability categorized based on current reported diagnosis and could

8

SL AFCBNREL cdp_bus

Created Sep‐3‐15

current reported diagnosis and could change as new information is received. 

Monthly Fuel Economy compared to Baseline9

7

8

9.

5

6

l gal

lon

equi

v.

3

4

iles

per d

iese

l

1

2Mi

ZEBA SL AFCB ACT VH Diesel ACT Gillig Diesel SunLine CNG

0Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15

NREL cdp_busCreated Sep‐3‐15

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        FCEBs:      AC Transit: 6.74  Baselines:  Van Hool diesel: 4.4             SunLine: 6.43 Gillig diesel: 3.9

CNG: 4.51

Reliability: Miles Between Roadcall (MBRC)

20 000

25,000

FC System MBRC Ultimate Target

15,000

20,000

n R

oadc

all

Bus MBRC

y g

FC System MBRC 2016 Target

10,000

Mile

s B

etw

een Bus MBRC

FC System MBRC

0

5,000

M

Bus MBRC Ultimate Target

Bus MBRC 2016 Target

NREL cdp_busCreated Sep‐3‐15

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Overall bus and FC System MBRC shows an upward trend, surpassing the 2016 and ultimate targets.

Summary of TRL 7 FCEB Results 

Documented progress toward targets:

Fleet Min Fleet Max Fleet Avg. 2016 Target Ultimate TargetTarget

Bus lifetime (years) 0.25 4.9 3.6 12 12

Bus lifetime (miles) 7,978 117,217 81,108 500,000 500,000

P l tPowerplantlifetime1(hr) 667 20,024 10,102 18,000 25,000

Bus availability (%) 40 92 73 85 90

Roadcall frequency-Roadcall frequency-bus 1,809 6,849 4,280 3,500 4,000

Roadcall frequency-fuel cell system 9,045 104,886 20,531 15,000 20,000

M i t tMaintenance cost ($/mi)2 0.54 1.28 1.13 0.75 0.40

Fuel economy (mpDGE) 5.56 7.71 7.02 8 8

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1 Fuel cell hours accumulated to date. Does not indicate end of life.2 Maintenance cost data from most recent reports for each project. 

Foothill Transit BEBs

FCEB Identifier BEBTransit Agency Foothill TransitN b f B 12

Specifications Foothill BEBs

Number of Buses 12Bus OEM ProterraBus length/height 35 ft / 126 in

Charging strategyFast‐charge, on‐

C a g g st ategyroute 

MotorPermanent 

magnet, UQM, PP220

R t d P (kW) 220 ( k)Rated Power (kW) 220 (peak)Energy Storage ‐ OEM AltairnanoType Lithium‐titanateCapacity 368 volts, 88 kWh

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BEB Energy Use and Charges4 00080 000

3 000

3,500

4,000

60 000

70,000

80,000

2,500

3,000

50,000

60,000

Cha

rges

ed (k

Wh)

1,500

2,000

30,000

40,000

Num

ber o

f

Ener

gy u

s e

500

1,000

10,000

20,000

00

Energy use kWh Number of charges

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Energy use kWh Number of charges

Average kWh per month: 61,174 Average # charges per month: 3,131

Monthly Fuel Economy compared to Baseline

80

90

100

16

18

20

F)

60

70

10

12

14

Tem

pera

ture

(F

omy

(mpD

GE)

30

40

50

4

6

8

Aver

age

Hig

h

Fuel

Eco

n o

10

20

0

2

4

BEB (35-ft) CNG (Orion, 40-ft) CNG (NABI, 42-ft) Avg High Temp (F)

BEB average: 2.15 kWh/mi, 17.48 mi/DGE

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average: . 5 kWh/mi, 7.48 mi/ GCNG baselines:  Orion 40‐ft: 4.4 mi/DGE 

NABI 42‐ft: 4.51 mi/DGE

Average Bus Availability

80

90

100

80%

90%

100%

ESS

Reasons for Unavailability

60

70

80

60%

70%

80%

days

ity

ESS

ChargingissuesElectric drive

40

50

40%

50%

Num

ber o

f d

Avai

labi

li

PM

Bus

10

20

30

10%

20%

30% BEB

CNG

Target

0

10

0%

10%

Apr-1

4

May

-14

un-1

4

Jul-1

4

Aug-

14

Sep-

14

Oct

-14

Nov

-14

Dec

-14

an-1

5

Feb-

15

Mar

-15

Apr-1

5

May

-15

un-1

5

Jul-1

5

Target

w/o 2013

15

A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J JAverage availability: 90%w/o outlier: 93%

Reasons for Unavailability

Electric drive

Charging issues

1%

ESS9%

drive22%

BusPM

Bus66%

2%

Foothill Number %ESS 40 9ESS 40 9Electric drive 101 22Charging issues 6 1Bus maintenance 301 66

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Preventive maintenance 8 2Total unavailable days 456 100Total planned days 4,600

Reliability: Miles Between Roadcall (MBRC)

200,000

250,000BEB Bus MBRC

BEB Propulsion MBRC

BEB Battery MBRC

150,000

een

Roa

dcal

l CNG Bus MBRC

CNG Propulsion MBRC

Bus MBRC Target

100,000

Mile

s B

etw

e ESS MBRC Target

0

50,000

Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15

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Early results show the BEB performance meets the ultimate targets.

Remaining Challenges and Barriers for ZEBsS ifi FCEBSpecific to FCEBs

• Increase durability and reliability of components

• Continue transition of build process to OEM• Continue transition of build process to OEM 

• Addition of fueling infrastructure

Specific to BEBsp

• Plan/build of opportunity charging stations & garage chargers

• Select appropriate routes for technology

• Address challenge of electric rates and demand charges

Common to all ZEBs

• Develop robust supply chain for components and parts

• Increase learning curve for maintenance staff—training and tools

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tools

• Reduce cost, both capital and operating

For more information

NREL Hydrogen Technology Validation web page:www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_tech_validation.html

C t t I f L li E dContact Info: Leslie Eudy

Phone: 303‐275‐4412

Email: leslie eudy@nrel govEmail: leslie.eudy@nrel.gov

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