In July 2006, Ford went into production of a fleet of 20 hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) shuttle buses. The first eight hydrogen shuttle buses, which hold 12 passengers apiece, went to the state of Florida.
Now, Canada has received its first three of 10 hydrogen shuttle buses to be delivered. Canada’s Parliament (Senate of Canada in Ottawa) has received delivery of the three H2 shuttle buses as part of Canada’s Hydrogen Early Adopters (H2EA) program.
Five firms in four different provinces had a hand in building various components for the shuttle buses. Ford’s V-10 ICE had to be modified to run on hydrogen including installing such components as specially hardened valve seats, iridium-tipped spark plugs, high-output pistons and rings and a synthetic engine oil optimized for hydrogen combustion properties.
Besides the hydrogen ICE shuttle buses, Ford is also heavily involved in creating vehicles that run on hydrogen fuel cells as well. Thirty Ford Focus FCV automobiles are currently being tested around the world and in late November, Ford demonstrated its Explorer Fuel Cell SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
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