The EU-funded CoacHyfied project is seeking feedback from coach operators on fleet and operational requirements as part of its work towards developing and demonstrating hydrogen fuel cell-electric power solutions for the sector.
Some UK-based operators have already come forward to engage with CoacHyfied’s research. It is now looking for more to answer a short questionnaire. The results will not be publicised, but they will be used to establish estimated technical characteristics and performance for hydrogen fuel cell-electric coaches in regional and long-distance applications, and for analysis of the existing market.
Among the information being sought from operators is:
- Fleet details
- Average daily and annual vehicle mileages
- Fuelling locations and habits for existing diesel coaches
- Needs relating to passenger and luggage capacities
- The means by which respondents fund vehicle purchases
- The level of interest in retrofitting existing coaches to run on hydrogen, and in procuring hydrogen fuel cell-electric coaches on what it describes as “full-service rent” arrangements.
The questionnaire can be downloaded as a Word document here. When completed, it should be returned to Dainis Bošs, Lead Researcher at CoacHyfied partner LLC Trezors, via email at dainis@trezors.eu
CoacHyfied was launched earlier in 2021. It is a five-year project and involves a consortium of 14 partners from across Europe. It aims to present hydrogen fuel cell-electric solutions for the coach industry in both medium- and long-distance applications.
Both OEM and retrofit applications are part of its scope. An important part of CoacHyfied will ultimately see the operation of six fuel cell coaches in two- to three-year demonstration phases in Latvia and France. Coventry University’s Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems is responsible for work on thermal management elements of the project.
