The Bucher CityCat H2 is hitting the streets of Basel, Switzerland in a test of the first hydrogen-powered street sweeper in the world. The CityCat H2 is the product of collaboration between the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research to decrease emissions in municipal vehicles. These collaborators worked with Bucher, the manufacturer of the CityCat and other street sweepers, to realize the results of a computer simulation showing a 50% decrease in fuel consumption using hydrogen fuel cells. Researchers also found that the hydrogen fuel cell system would reduce carbon dioixide emissions by 40% when working at peak capacity.
Bucher’s hydrogen-powered CityCat H2 was funded by the Federal Office of Energy and the Competence Center for Energy and Mobility. The Swiss government funneled money through the Federal Office of Energy as part of the hy.muve or municipal hydrogen-driven vehicle project. If the Bucher CityCat H2 is successful, this public-private collaboration may extend to utility vehicles and delivery trucks throughout Switzerland. While the familiar Bucher design may not draw attention from Basel’s residents, the fuel cell drive train is like nothing on the market today.
The CityCat H2 combines a 55kW diesel engine, a hydraulic drive system and a 12 kWh lithium-polymer battery. The diesel engine and hydraulic system are modified versions of Bucher’s standard units while the lithium-polymer battery adds more punch during startup. Proton Motors provided the 20kW fuel cell system for this revolutionary street sweeper. The Swiss government and Bucher worked with BRUSA to supply a 7.5 kg compressed hydrogen containment system that keeps the fuel stable during bumpy rides.
The success of the Basel experiment with hydrogen fuel cells depends on variables like infrastructure, machine performance and vehicle cost. The test sweeper currently running through Basel will be fueled at a municipal depot but future vehicles will need fueling stations to function. The CityCat H2’s daily route will test its ability to withstand heat, cold, precipitation and other conditions that may influence fuel cell systems adversely. Basel’s test sweeper is only one hydrogen-powered vehicle in a city of 167,000 residents, which means that per-unit costs could be a concern. The considerable resources of state agencies and private industry could put the CityCat H2 above these concerns with a successful test run.
