As part of the Federal Transit Administration’s Low/No Emissions Bus Grant, the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, or TheRide, has been awarded $25 million dollars to help the business turn more eco-friendly.
They applied for the grant back in April, though months of preparation within the company was needed to compile all the necessary information and formulate it correctly.
“We looked at the specifications of the low-no grant requirements from the FTA and helped use those guidelines to form our application,” Manager of Public Affairs and Engagement, Jeffery A. Pfeifer said.
The decision to apply was not just from the company.
“We also received letters of support from various municipalities, elected leaders, and stakeholders from the community,” Pfeifer said.
The application was sent to the Federal Transit Administration and on July 9 it was announced that TheRide received their request for the grant.
The money will go toward converting the current diesel buses to hydrogen and hybrid versions. Two of the buses will be hydrogen fuel based, while another dozen will be hybrid electric diesel buses. The money will also contribute to a hydrogen fueling station. But the changes won't happen overnight.
“It will be a multi-year process; we hope to be delivering emissions reductions as early as 2025-2026,” Pfeifer said. “Conventional diesel buses would be phased out 3-4 years earlier than without hybrid buses, and the fleet will become fully zero-emission by 2045.”
All this work is part of TheRide’s Zero Emissions Bus Initiative. Originally passed in January of this year, the Board of Directors revised the initiative until they decided on the hydrogen fuel cells and hybrid buses. Once the process is complete and TheRide is zero-emission, they will save around 7,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
A hydrogen engine is one that uses hydrogen to power it instead of fossil fuels like gasoline or diesel, the same fossil fuels that lead to climate change. The only emission from a hydrogen engine is water vapor; this is what makes it more renewable.
Of course, just like anything, there’s pros and cons. Hydrogen is more expensive than other fuels. Additionally, if fossil fuels are used to process the hydrogen, the benefits are cancelled out. It’s also harder to store hydrogen. However, hydrogen is three times more efficient than gasoline.
Considering all of its challenges, it’s easy to understand why more companies aren’t starting the process of converting to hydrogen fuel cells.
“We'd love to see other agencies incorporate environmental sustainability and hydrogen technology,” Pfeifer said.
