An anonymous director reports

BALLARD FUEL CELL MODULES POWERING ZERO-EMISSION BUS FLEET IN GERMANY

Ballard Power Systems Inc. has congratulated transit authority Regional Verkehr Koln of Cologne, Germany, as well as Van Hool NV, Europe's fourth largest bus manufacturer, for delivery of two 13-metre (40-foot) buses powered by Ballard's FCvelocity-HD6 fuel cell modules.

These buses are joining two 18-metre (60-foot) VDL-Phileas model fuel cell buses powered by Ballard, which were deployed in 2011 with RVK and are currently in regular transit service. Procurement of these latest buses has been financed by NOW, the German state and North Rhine Westphalia region financing agency.

These two latest fuel cell buses are A330 models supplied by Belgium-based Van Hool, Ballard's partner in Europe. With delivery of the buses, which have a ridership capacity comparable with standard diesel buses, RVK is taking a step toward fulfilment of its goal of zero-emission public transport by 2030. Ballard and Van Hool have previously supplied buses to a number of other European cities, including: Oslo, Norway; San Remo, Italy; Flanders, Belgium; and Aberdeen, Scotland.

The Cologne region is home to a substantial chemical industry producing large amounts of byproduct hydrogen. This will be used as a source of fuel for the buses, in conjunction with an existing hydrogen fuelling station.

Ballard's FCvelocity-HD6 fuel cell module delivers 150 kilowatts of power, which is stored in lithium-ion batteries on board each A330 fuel cell hybrid bus. These batteries, in turn, deliver power to two 85-kilowatt electric engines on each bus.

Ballard's sixth-generation FCvelocity-HD6 fuel cell module features a control unit, which interfaces with a system controller, making it a plug-and-play product for any fuel cell or hybrid fuel cell bus platform. The module also offers significant advances in durability, power density and fuel efficiency compared with earlier generation products.

Increased volumes of fuel-cell-powered buses would support cost and price reductions through scale economies, enabling increased competitive positioning of fuel cell solutions compared with incumbent transit technologies.

We seek Safe Harbor.