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Switzerland, Basel
A new Hydrogen-powered street sweeper is cleaning the streets of Basel. The ‘Bucher CityCat H2′ has been developed by EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research) and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), in collaboration with Bucher Schoerling, Proton Motor, BRUSA Elektronik AG und Messer Schweiz. Launched May 14, the vehicle will now undergo operational testing on the city’s streets for the next six months, with full testing to take place in various localities over the next 18 months. “Our goal is to bring fuel cell technology from the laboratory to the street, to test it under ‘normal’ conditions,” said project manager Christian Bach, head of EMPA’s internal combustion engines laboratory.
Around seven kilogrammes of hydrogen would be stored on the machine, Bach explained, which converted to electricity, would allow it to run up to eight hours a day.
Computer simulations made at EMPA demonstrate considerable energy savings compared with conventional diesel engines. CO2 emissions can be reduced by some 40%, even when using conventional hydrogen production techniques based on natural gas. The project is financed by the ETH Domain’s Competence Centre for Energy and Mobility (CCEM), the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (SFOE), the various project partners and pilot regions where the vehicle will be tested.
The project named “hy.muve” (municipal hydrogen-driven vehicle) will also serve as a research platform for socio-economic studies focussing on the acceptance of hydrogen technology, its market and economy, Bach added, noting the non-polluting sweeper is ideally suited for use in highly populated city zones, such as urban transport hubs. (Press Release – German)
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