IEEE Fuel Cells Largest Hydrogen Fueled Bus Fleet in the Nation
Hydrogen Fuel Cells - Hear it first hand from technical expert and CEO of Kirt Conrad.
Join us for our IEEE in conjunction with the Microgrid Informational Session as we host Kirt Conrad, CEO for the as he speaks on Hydrogen Fuel Cells for his Fleet of Buses. Find out the sustainability benefits of hydrogen fuel cells, ease of operations and some challenges that the faced.
SARTA CEO Kirt Conrad created Borrow a Bus to raise awareness about and generate support for the zero-emission technology.
“Most Americans, including policy-makers and the media, don’t know what fuel cells are or how they work,” Conrad said. “Giving people across the country the opportunity to see, learn about and operate a hydrogen fuel-cell bus on their roads and highways is the most effective way to demonstrate that HFCs have the potential to totally transform the way vehicles are powered in the U.S. and around the world.”
Along with looking under the hood and kicking the tires, transit managers will be able to review hundreds of thousands of miles worth of real-world data SARTA has collected while operating HFC buses on the streets of Stark County in Canton, Ohio, in a multitude of various weather conditions over the past 10 years.
“That data provides clear and convincing evidence that HFC buses deliver much greater range than battery electrics, are both more reliable and affordable to operate, remove tons of pollutants from the air and, perhaps most importantly from an operational standpoint, take only minutes to refuel,” Conrad continued. “All of which leads to the obvious conclusion that hydrogen is the best alternative fuel solution available in the transportation space.”
Since making its first trip to the Central Midlands Transit Authority in Columbia, S.C., in 2019, the BaB tour has visited Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Va., Chicago, Ill., Portland, Ore., Seattle, Wash., Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando, Fla., Lansing, Mich., and New Brunswick, N.J. Along with garnering media coverage at each tour stop, the unique and highly popular promotion earned CALSTART’s Blue Sky Award in 2020.
"Borrow a Bus ensures that fuel cells will be a prominent part of the renewable energy conversation as the drive to electrify transportation in the U.S. and the world gains momentum,” Conrad said. “To date, that conversation has been dominated by the plug-in electric sector. But as more and more people get a close-up look at HFCs and begin comparing performance data, hydrogen is gaining traction because the vehicles offer the efficiency, range, operational capabilities, and rider experience transit professionals are seeking as they strive to achieve their zero-emission goals.”
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 12 May 2022
- Time: 07:00 PM UTC to 08:00 PM UTC
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Mike Brisbois
708.668.5488
mike.brisbois@ieee.org - Co-sponsored by IEEE Power and Energy
- Starts 01 April 2022 07:00 AM UTC
- Ends 12 May 2022 11:00 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Kirt Conrad of SARTA
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority’s (SARTA) Borrow a Bus (BaB) zero-emissions tour resumed June 4 after pausing operations due to the pandemic.
SARTA resumed the tour with one of its hydrogen fuel cell-powered (HFC) buses with a week-long, eight-stop swing through California.
The BaB program is supported by ElDorado National California (ENC®). The hydrogen fueled ENC AXESS FC® never needs gas and only water is emitted from the tailpipe. It is also federally certified for three-point seat belts. The company, which built the SARTA bus being used on the BaB tour, will provide free technical support and fuel for the vehicle during the California swing. The tour is also being underwritten by Creative Bus Sales, BAE Systems which manufactures the vehicle’s propulsion system, and Ballard Power Systems, the firm that produces the bus’s hydrogen fuel cell.
Biography:
Kirt Conrad has been the CEO of the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) in Canton, Ohio since 2009. SARTA operates 100 buses with 200 employees. SARTA’s also operates diesel electric hybrids, biodiesel, and dual fuel GNC/DIESIL vehicles. They are also working with FTA, Ballard, BAE, and El Dorado to deploy 20 fuel cell buses, which is the largest fleet in the country outside of CA. Together with Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research, SARTA has lunched the Midwest Fuel Cell Center of Excellence funded by the Federal Transit Administration. From 1996, Kirt worked for the METRO Regional Transit Authority in Akron as planner, grants manager, and planning director. Kirt is also president of the Transit Health Pool of Ohio, the immediate past president of the Ohio Public Transit Association, treasurer of the Ohio Transit Risk Pool, and Chair of the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition. He serves on Calstart’s fuel cell infrastructure advisory board for public transit. Kirt, also served on the Center for Transportation and the Environment/Federal Transit Administration Procurement Risk Reduction for Zero Emission Vehicles committee. He is also a member of American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Zero Emission Bus Specification committee updating the Bus Specification White Book and serves as vice chair of the workforce subcommittee of APTA’s Research and Demonstration Committee. He received a Bachelor in Political Science from Kent State and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Akron. He recently received a graduate certificate in finance from the Grenoble Graduate School of Business in Grenoble France and a professional certificate in Architecture and Systems Engineering from MIT.
Email:
Address:Canton, Ohio, United States
John Gentile of Cascadia Energy Technologies, LLC
On Site Hydrogen Production
We all want clean, renewable, and zero-carbon fuels for transit system, marine, and trucking applications. But how do we get there, realistically, in terms of an effective implementation strategy and enabling technologies?
Biography:
Email:
Address:Portland, Oregon, United States
Agenda
12:00 pm Noon PDT IEEE Announcements
12:02 pm PDT Introduction of Speaker Kirt Conrad
12:04 pm PDT Presentation - Hydrogen Fueled Bus Fleet
12:34 pm PDT Q&A
12:45 pm PDT On-Site Hydrogen Production John Gentile
Hydrogen Fuel Cells - How do they work? What are the benefits? Find out about any pitfalls or challenges that were encounted to implement this fleet of hydrogen driven buses. Wow! You don't want to miss this exciting session. FLYER Sign up today at REGISTER