Hydrogen-Powered Bus comes to Japan!

• car
• energy
• technology

By JoelJul 31st, 2009

Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by mayhem

Experiments with hydrogen-powered buses with a view to introducing them on public roads are taking place around Europe, and also in The U.S and Brazil, and in some places are already realities. And finally, buses that run on hydrogen fuel are making their mark in Japan. Introducing hydrogen fuel into buses puts real environmental improvements within reach. Let’s have a look at the come-uppance of hydrogen buses and environmental improvements in Japan.

First and foremost, this Hydrogen-fueled Bus (Hydrogen Automobile) is different from a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. While the latter uses hydrogen to produce electricity which is then used to power the vehicle, the former directly combusts hydrogen to make the vehicle run. The great thing about it is that rather than developing a completely new system, simply modifying the gasoline engine is enough, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t require the rare metals that batteries need.

However, it is not without its problems, namely the presence of Nitrous Oxide (NOx) in exhaust fumes, safety issues related to hydrogen fuel, and the production method of the fuel.

The debut of Hydrogen Buses in Japan was not due to a public organization, but Tokyo City University Formed last year in April with the unification of Musashi Technical College and Tokyoko Gakuen, it had for over 30 years in its previous entity as Musashi Technical College been involved with the development of the “Hydrogen Autombile”. This time, in collaboration with Hino Motors,Ltd. their efforts to implement the hydrogen bus have paid off. A number plate was acquired on passing the technical review of the Japan Automobile Research Institute, and the plan is that in the near future hydrogen buses will be used as shuttle buses between campuses.

Experiments with hydrogen buses on public roads are being implemented by public organizations in Germany and Iceland, and there is a good reason why hydrogen fuel is being eagerly introduced into buses. Road buses tend to move along at a slow pace, with a lot of stops and starts. Such a short starting and stopping cycle burns a lot of fuel, and worse yet runs on diesel with its large volume of NOx exhaust fumes. As a result, the impact on the environment has been reduced.

In fact, this new hydrogen bus gives way to massive optimism for environmental improvements given that it reduces the amount of exhaust gases to approx. one 90th of what they were before, with zero carbon dioxide. Added to this is the fact that road buses don’t drive at high speeds and only run on limited routes. As their optimal speed is not very high, the demerit that applies to hydrogen cars whereby they need a hydrogen station to refuel at, does not apply to buses. Furthermore, the fact that hydrogen fuel requires a larger amount of space in the tank than in gasoline engines to ensure safety, is not an issue as it is much easier to get such an amount of space in a bus, in contrast to a private car.

I may be giving the impression that it’s all a bed of roses but there are problems, most notably, the fuel issue. At present hydrogen fuel is generated mainly from natural gases, which results in consuming fossil fuels and the expulsion of greenhouse gases. Also, that it is said to cost 5-6 times as much as diesel. To resolve these issues means finding a completely new method of producing hydrogen, and to this end Tokyo City University is planning to extract hydrogen from waste gases generated by factories.

If this can be achieved then surely the hydrogen bus can stake its claim as a here for the environment. Go for it, Tokyo City Uni!!

This article has been translated from the original Japanese post