In just weeks, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will kick off in Vancouver. Last summer, the Hydrogen Road Tour ended in Vancouver in celebration of the event’s sustainability goals. VANOC (the organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games) is the first to offer a sustainability policy with performance objectives that include the social, economic and environmental dimensions to deliver sustainability outcomes at the Games that will create lasting local and global benefits.
A fleet of Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicles will transport a wide array of people, including VANOC representatives, media, athletes, government representatives and everyday Vancouver drivers.
"With the only emissions being wisps of water vapour, these vehicles are a perfect match for VANOC's sustainability goals and they nicely complement the broad range of fuel efficient technologies featured in the vehicle fleet we have supplied for the 2010 Games." said Matt Crossley, GM Canada's director of engineering in a GM press release. "We are genuinely excited to allow the people of British Columbia experience this viable green technology first hand."
BC Transit will operate a fleet of 20 fuel cell buses in Whistler. The goal is to demonstrate the integration of fuel cell buses into the regular operational service of an urban transit system, allowing monitoring of operations, maintenance and fuelling over a sustained period.
“The Games is an opportunity for BC to showcase innovative ways green technology is being used in parts of the province,” said Joanna Morton from BC Transit. “The fuel cell fleet will help BC Transit contribute to a better quality of life and cleaner air in Whistler.”
The buses have 37 seats, a 60-person standing capacity, and a top speed of 90 kilometres per hour. They are twice as efficient as internal combustion engine buses and have zero tailpipe pollution. The 20 fuel cell buses will save more than 1,800 tonnes of emissions over the course of a year. In the 20-year lifespan of these buses, they will eliminate about 36,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
CaFCP’s Canadian members, AFCC and Powertech Labs are proud to have the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in their home town and will be supporting the games through various H2i activities, which you can see at www.poweringnow.ca.
Learn more about hydrogen and fuel cells in Canada from the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association at www.chfca.ca. To learn more about British Columbia's fuel cell program visit www.bctransit.com/fuelcell.
