On March 27, the first hydrogen-powered bus in Colombia was presented in Bogotá. This vehicle, which will run on renewable energy, will be used in the country’s capital for public transportation. The initiative is part of the District administration’s commitment to the energy transition and the decarbonization of public transport. The bus will contribute to the reduction of 1,083 tons of CO2 in Bogotá.
This is a comprehensive project that, in addition to the bus, includes the production of low-emission hydrogen, a compression and storage system, and a service station that includes a hydrogenerator.
The Mayor of Bogotá Claudia López,stressed that the pilot will not stay on a bus. “The idea is to have another 13 buses very soon that can be put into operation with this electrolyzer,” she said.
The first green hydrogen bus assembled in the country is a milestone in the history of the Colombian transportation industry. The bus is a project led by the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá, TransMilenio S.A., Ecopetrol Group, Fund for Non-Conventional Energies and Efficient Energy Management (FENOGE), Fábrica Nacional de Autopartes (FANALCA) and Green Móvil.
The operation, which will initially take place for eight years in the Integrated Public Transport Service (SITP), seeks to evaluate variables related to the hydrogen production system and vehicle performance, as well as commercial and technological aspects of the use of this energy source. It is also expected to publish the knowledge that arises from this pilot.
To carry out the test, a PEM (protone exchange membrane) technology electrolyzer was purchased, with an installed power of 165 kW and a production capacity of more than 23 tons of hydrogen per year. In a first phase, the energy comes from the National Interconnected System (SIN) with REC certification, which determines that its origin is exclusively from renewable sources, and in a second phase that will begin in the second half of 2023, it will come from a system of more than 2,000 solar panels of approximately 1MW for the production of green hydrogen.
A service station is also used to supply energy, with the capacity to refuel the bus in less than 10 minutes. In addition, at the refueling site there is a cylinder storage system with a capacity of up to 140 kg.
The bus, which will transport more than 98,500 passengers a year, was assembled in Colombia by more than 100 professionals and technicians who participated in the process. It includes a fuel cell and a battery; the battery consumes hydrogen to generate electricity. The vehicle has a range of more than 450 kilometers with a single refuel per day and can reach a maximum speed of 90 km/h.
Source: City of Bogota
