Georgetown University Fuel Cell Bus Program

The Georgetown University Fuel Cell Bus Program has concluded.
This site will remain available for information on the background and history of the program. For inquiries on the program, please see the Contact page.

Program Overview

Georgetown University (GU) was involved in the research and demonstration of methanol-fueled fuel cell buses beginning in the early 1980s. The first program was funded and managed jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Under contract to DOE, GU provided systems engineering expertise and was a key member of DOE's Program Management Team.

The GU Fuel Cell Bus Program was the successor to the initial DOE/DOT program and was funded primarily by a grant begun in 1994 from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), an agency of the DOT. Supporting funding was provided by the National Automotive Center (NAC, part of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center - TARDEC), DARPA, and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

Program Objectives

The key objectives of GU's Advanced Vehicle program were:

• Help the industry prepare for fuel cell buses. The program supported the development of fuel cell technology and hybrid electric bus technology, and assisted industry in preparing for the commercialization of fuel cell buses.
• Leverage demonstrated technology. The fuel cell systems used were based on demonstrated stationary fuel cell and automotive fuel cell technology. The electric drive systems for the buses were also based on proven technology, such as the BAE Systems HybriDrive which is now used in thousands of Diesel hybrid electric buses.
• Demonstrate methanol as a hydrogen alternative. On the Georgetown buses, the hydrogen needed for the fuel cell system was extracted using steam reforming from liquid methanol on board the vehicle. Storing liquid fuel allowed the buses to have a normal driving range (350+ miles), and significantly reduced the required fueling infrastructure investment. The methanol fuel cell buses also demonstrated the potential to improve energy security since methanol can be domestically produced from renewable resources or coal.