Thinking, Designing, Engineering and Building
Mobile Energy Solutions has worked "Outside the Box" for so many years that we no longer remember where the box is. When we began the Denver Mall Project, we informed vendors that we were building a 116-passenger, completely low floor, CNG-fueled hybrid electric shuttle bus and were going to power it with a 2.5 liter ICE engine. The response was generally a hang-up, or at best a cleared throat—followed by a hang-up.
Today, after two million miles of successful revenue service and 130 million passenger boardings on the Denver 16th Street Mall, the TEAM has accepted other industry-changing projects. The results of which will forever change the Transit Industry and challenge its inevitable skeptics.
The FTA National Fuel Cell Bus Program
CTE / Columbia, SC / Birmingham, AL / Hartford, CT
In response to an RFP from the FTA National Fuel Cell Bus Program, Mobile Energy Solutions accepted the challenge of designing and building a plug-in battery-dominant bus powered by two 16 kW automotive Fuel Cells manufactured by Hydrogenics, Inc.
The composite body design provides for the 6-inch tall batteries to be incorporated into the floor, which allows for a low floor design with conventional seating and superb weight distribution. The body will be a one piece composite body manufactured exclusively for Mobile Energy Solutions by Martin Marietta Composites. The significant reduction in weight permits the use of smaller tires creating space for additional seating over the wheel wells. This design feature, combined with the absence of a conventional engine compartment makes possible the promised 37 seated passengers in a 35’ bus. Because the bus is a battery dominant vehicle, auxiliary power units are interchangeable and are available not only in a fuel cell version but also as ICE powered APU's using hydrogen, propane or CNG as a fuel as well as bio-diesel powered APU's.
City of Burbank
Burbank, CA / CARB
On May 24, 2007 the California Air Resources Board awarded the City of Burbank funds for the purchase and testing of a 35' Mobile Energy Solutions composite body, plug in, battery dominant fuel cell bus employing Altairnano Lithium Titanate batteries to operate in the Media District of Burbank. Burbank currently operates five Toyota Prius connected to operate on hydrogen. Funding for expansion of the current hyrdogen fueling station will come from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Norfolk Defense Distribution Center
On April 28, 2007 Mobile Energy Solutions, as a Hyster Company / Hydrogenics Corporation team member, was awarded a contract to supply a fuel cell bus to the Department of Defense Distribution Center in Norfolk, VA.