A new hydrogen fuel cell electric double-deck is being tested in Dublin.
The vehicle will be trialled on a modified Dublin Bus route 9, driven to simulate real-driving conditions while examining emissions and energy efficiencies.
An assessment of costs and infrastructural requirements will also be undertaken as part of the country’s Department of Transport’s Low Emission Bus Trial. It says this will be the final phase of the trial which has previously tested a range of alternative fuel technologies including electric, hybrid and gas technologies.
The Department of Transport is working with Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, BOC Gas, and consultants Byrne Ó Cleirigh to carry out the testing and the results will form part of the decision-making process to help further transition the public transport fleet to lower emitting fuels and technologies.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan T.D. said, “We are now in the final stages of testing alternative fuel technologies which will inform how our bus fleet will operate and how we can support a sustainable transport system across Ireland.”
The National Transport Authority (NTA) and Bus Éireann recently unveiled three of the new hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric double-deck buses which are already being used on commuter services in the Greater Dublin Area. The buses are initially serving Bus Éireann’s route 105X, which runs between Dublin and Ratoath, County Meath.
(Picture – Bus Eireann YouTube)
