FTA awards $16.6 million in grants for fuel cell bus research

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While we were jealously hung up on South Korea's working electric bus
system, Christmas apparently came early for a couple of lucky US fuel
cell bus research projects -- in the form of $16.6 million in Federal
Transit Administration grants. Pasadena based Calstart snagged almost
$10.2 million and will funnel 70 percent of the funds to developing
the first phase of a low-cost, longer lasting fuel cell power system.
Calstart will then spend its remaining $2.9 million in partnership
with the Chicago Regional Transit Authority to develop and test the
viability of fuel cell bus fleets in cold climates. The Center for
Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta was the other project to
hit the federal money gravy train. It received a hefty $6.4 million to
spread across six different projects that dabble in everything from
developing fast-charging 35-foot fuel cell buses, to similar lithium
ion versions, to improving existing hybrid bus platforms. Federal pork
for fuel cell DSLR development regrettably missed the cut. For the
full scoop hit up the press release after the break.