VANCOUVER, CANADA and QINGDAO, CHINA – Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) today announced that to date it has shipped six (6) of the company’s FCveloCity® fuel cell engines to CRRC Qingdao Sifang Company (“CSR Sifang”) in China for use in powering urban trams, including the shipment of five (5) 200 kilowatt (kW) engines in Q2 2017. CSR Sifang is part of CRRC Corporation Ltd., the world’s largest train OEM.
Earlier in 2017 CSR Sifang announced a contract with its customer for the planned deployment of hydrogen fuel cell trams for a route being constructed in the City of Foshan, China, to be powered by Ballard FCveloCity® fuel cell engines. A total of ten (10) fuel cell engines are expected to be shipped to CSR Sifang for this program.
Rob Campbell, Ballard’s Chief Commercial Officer said, “We are very pleased with the progress we are making with CSR Sifang. We expect that our collaboration will lead to the world’s first commercial deployment of fuel cell-powered trams, which should then open further opportunities globally.”
In 2015 Ballard announced its plan to develop a new prototype configuration of the FCveloCity® fuel cell module to deliver 200kW’s of net power for use in trams for urban deployments. This was followed in the same year by the successful demonstration of a fuel cell-powered CSR Sifang tram, using Ballard technology.
Each of the fuel cell trams on the new Gaoming Line in Foshan will have a capacity of 285 passengers and a maximum speed of 70 km/hour. The Gaoming Line will be 17.4 kilometers long, with 20 stops. In addition to delivering strong operating performance, the fuel cell trams will have a longer range and be more environmentally-friendly than traditional trams.
CSR Sifang is a Chinese rolling stock manufacturer based in Qingdao, Shandong province. Established more than 100-years ago, CSR Sifang has a yearly production capacity of 200 high-speed electric multiple units (EMUs), 1,000 mass transit vehicles and 300 high-grade passenger cars.
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) provides clean energy products that reduce customer costs and risks, and helps customers solve difficult technical and business challenges in their fuel cell programs. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.