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Hele-On to Operate State’s First Hydrogen Bus

The County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency (MTA), in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) and U.S. Hybrid, has taken delivery of its first hydrogen fuel-cellpowered bus which was delivered to Hawaiʻi Island on March 23 and is being prepared for service.
The bus, which is intended for operation on Routes 202, 203, and 204 in Kailua-Kona later this spring,  is expected to travel approximately 100 miles a day and rotate between the three Kailua-Kona routes.
In 2019, the Hawaiʻi County Council accepted the 21-passenger 2014 El Dorado Aero Elite as a donation from HNEI. Originally purchased as a gasoline-powered vehicle, it was converted by U.S. Hybrid to hydrogen with a new state-of-the-art 40 kW U.S. Hybrid fuel cell as its proprietary electric drive system.
The County Council is also awaiting delivery of two 19- passenger 2012 El Dorado Aero Elite buses converted for hydrogen fuel-cell power that the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park donated to the County.
The first bus will be operated and maintained by Roberts Hawaiʻi until the base yard in Kailua-Kona is completed, which is tentatively scheduled for 2025. The maintenance will be transitioned to the MTA. Until this transition is completed, the bus will be maintained and fueled at the hydrogen station built and operated by HNEI at the Natural Energy Laboratory Hawaiʻi Authority (NELHA) and commissioned last year.
The station’s 65-kilogram per day hydrogen production can fuel all three buses. Funding for the station came from various sources, including the Office of Naval Research, the State of Hawaiʻi, and NELHA. The bus was purchased by HNEI using funds from the Energy Systems Development Special Fund, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Office of Naval Research. The remaining two 2012 El Dorado Aero Elite buses will be delivered later in 2022. These buses, currently powered with a 30kW hydrogen drive system, are being upgraded with the same 40kW U.S. Hybrid fuel cells and A123 Lithium-ion batteries as the 21-passenger bus to simplify maintenance issues. The upgrades to the two remaining buses are funded from the General Excise Tax (GET) provided by the County of Hawaiʻi.
Additional program elements include workforce and first responders training on how to operate and maintain a hydrogen bus. HNEI and U.S. Hybrid are providing this training. In 2017 the four County mayors committed to transitioning the public transit fleets to zero emissions by 2035. As a result, in November 2020, MTA, in partnership with Roberts Hawaiʻi, initiated the operation of a battery-electric bus in Hilo as a first step in MTA’s long-term plans to convert the entire fleet to zero-emission technology.
The move to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles is part of MTA’s plan to convert the Hele-On fleet to 100 percent zero-emission technology by 2035. MTA is working in partnership with the Hawai’i Department of Transportation and the neighboring islands of Maui and Kaua’i to implement a zero-emission bus (ZEB) rollout plan, which includes the operation of battery-electric buses on each island. MTA is testing both hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses and plug-in battery-electric buses to determine which ZEBs best meet MTA’s needs related to operations, maintenance, and cost, among other factors. MTA will begin phasing in additional zero-emission buses as part of future bus purchases in 2023. At the same time, staff will continue to analyze emerging technologies and work with partners to secure funding for the buses’ purchase, operations, and maintenance.
In a statement Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth said, “We are excited to put our vision into practice in terms of sustainable action on our island.  Shifting our entire County fleet to alternative fuel and electric vehicles is a priority for us, as we continue to push those in our community to consider alternative modes of transportation in a broader effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and great a more sustainable future; for our keiki.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for May at Kona Commons to coincide with the hydrogen bus being put into formal service. More details will be available in the near future.
 
Photo credit: Hawaii County Mayor’s Office

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