Tata Motors in pact with Canada's Ballard Power for fuel cell buses
02 Feb 2012
Tata Motors, India's largest commercial vehicles manufacturer, today signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ballard Power Systems to demonstrate the zero-emission fuel cell technology on its Starbus in various cities in India.
Tata Motors Starbus will be powered by 12 FCvelocityTM-1100 fuel cell stacks for a planned demonstration in various Indian cities.
Tata Motors displayed the first fuel cell bus built in India at "Auto Expo 2012" held this month in New Delhi. The bus is powered with a Ballard FCvelocityTM-1100 fuel cell stack, previously delivered to Tata Motors in 2011.
Ballard Power will deliver the fuel cells over 2012 and 2013, in-line with Tata Motor's plans.
The FCvelocityTM-1100 fuel cell stacks, designed for heavy vehicles, are based on the company's FCvelocityTM-HD6 fuel cell module, which is a plug and play power solution used by bus original equipment manufacturers (OEM) globally.
The technology has been developed with support from the government of India's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research under the Technology Development & Demonstration Programme.