CUTE - Clean Urban Transport for Europe
Overview
Background & policy context:
The European Commission identifies Hydrogen and fuel cells among the portfolio of technologies that could address the common energy problems. This technology is identified as having the potential to provide solutions for issues such as energy supply security, while reducing local air pollution and increasing employment. Hydrogen and fuel cells development and deployment requires large scale integrated actions with the necessary critical mass, as well as mobilising private business, Member States and the Commission in public private partnerships.
In 2000 the transit authorities of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Porto, Stockholm and Stuttgart decided to participate in a joint fuel cell bus and hydrogen fleet test to significantly enhance the development of Clean Urban Transport for Europe. They joined with leading infrastructure companies such as BP, Norsk Hydro, Shell and Vattenfall, and withDaimler Chrysler and its bus subsidiary Evobus. In order to strenghten the development of the new technology and to support the efforts of the transport companies, in 2001 the European Commission decided to support this project with one of the largest budgets ever for a single research and demonstration project.
Objectives:
The overall objective of the project was to develop and demonstrate an emission-free and low-noise transport system, including the accompanying hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure.
This combination of these new technologies shows the greatest potential for the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of the atmosphere and life in densely populated areas, while conserving fossil resources. It also has the potential to strenghten the technological competitiveness of the European economy.
Specific objectives of the project were:
- Demonstration of 27 fuel cell powered Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses over a period of two years in European metropolitan areas in order to gain knowledge on the operational practicability of the fuel cell technology under real life conditions.
- Design, construction and operation of the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen production and refuelling stations. The hydrogen was produced partly on-site, partly off-site from different sources such as water (electrolysis), natural gas (steam reforming) and different processes in oil refineries.
- Development of the necessary knowledge to certify the fuel cell buses as well as the hydrogen infrastructure for safe operation in the participating European countries.
- To build-up a knoledge base on the environmental performance of the new transportation system through the lifecycle assessment approach and to compare the fuel cell technology with conventional technologies such as diesel/compressed natural gas powered buses.
- Increasing public knowledge and acceptance of fuel cell and hydrogen technology through the operation of the fuel cell buses in inner city areas.
Methodology:
The work programme was structured into the following different groups of activities addressing tasks and objectives of the project:
- Set-up and operation of the hydrogen production infrastructure. These actvities addressed issues relating to the supply of hydrogen. This was achieved either by on-site production or transportation (by truck) from distant sources). They also included the provision and use of the local infrastructure necessary for the operation of the buses consisting of a refuelling station and a bus depot.
- Operation of 27 fuel cell Citaro buses. This group of activities formed the heart of the project and concerned the demonstration ad evaluation of the behaviour and performance of the bus system in regular service in European inner city areas under different climatic, topographical and traffic-related conditions.
- Accompanying studies, which include the implementation of a Quality & Safety Monitoring system for the setting up and operation of a fuel cell hydrogen powered bus system, including the certification and homologation of the various system components. They also addressed issues concerning appropriate training and education of the personnel involved, as well as informing the public to give them a better understanding of this new propulsion system. Finally studies were carried out on the ecological and economic effects of introducing the new technology in Europe in order to better assess the medium and long-term effects of the new transport system.
- Exploitation and dissemination of the project’s findings.
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