New Flyer Industries F40LF

---This page is about the hydrogen fuel cell version of New Flyer Industries' Standard Low Floor design unofficially known as the H40LF. For the diesel-electric version originally designated as the H40LF, see New Flyer Industries DE40LF.

New Flyer F40LF
Years of manufacture	1994, 1996/1997, 2000
Length	40 feet
Width	102 inches
Power/Fuel	Ballard Hydrogen Fuel Cell

The F40LF, also unofficially known as the H40LF, was the compressed hydrogen fuel cell version of the popular Standard Low Floor model by New Flyer Industries.

The Four Phases of Ballard

Within the testing of Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses, the F40LF was the third iteration from Ballard Power Systems. Phase 1 started in 1993 with a shuttle bus converted by Ballard Power Systems. Phase 2 began in 1995, with the construction of a proof-of-concept vehicle based upon the New Flyer Industries D40LF. This vehicle was tested with BC Transit's Vancouver and Victoria systems. Phase 3 was home to the F40LF. Specifics of this phase are covered below. The last phase, Phase 4, was meant to be the final version of the F40LF, fitted with a newer version of the Xcellsis Fuel Cell "engine", which resulted in a lighter vehicle and more efficient use of fuel. Specifics of this phase are covered below.

Phase 2 — Commercial Prototype

Ballard Phase 2 F40LF
Photo courtesy of CPTDB User "Kevin L"
Year of manufacture	mid-1995
Manufacturer	New Flyer Industries Ballard Power Corporation
Length	40' 8" (12.4m)
Width	102" (2.57m)
Range	Approximately 250 miles (400km)
Capacity	60 passengers (seated/standing)
Propulsion	Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Ballard's Phase 2 Fuel Cell bus was the world's first full-size transit bus powered with PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cells. Constructed on a modified New Flyer Industries D40LF chassis, the Phase 2 bus demonstrated across Canada, most notably around Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. In June 1997 a seminar and exposition on clean vehicles was held in Mexico City to review several clean vehicle technologies. Ballard Power Corporation, Science Applications International (SAIC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demonstrated the Phase 2 bus in Mexico City on June 3 and 4, 1997. This bus demonstration project was conceived by SAIC and funded by the EPA. Logistical planning was primarily undertaken by Ballard Power Systems and SAIC's Mexico City and San Diego offices. In addition to demonstration for the public, Ballard used this opportunity to test how air quality and elevation affect fuel cells, as Mexico City is often considered to have poor air quality and located at a higher elevation than Vancouver. Performance data showed a 22 percent decrease in peak power during operation in Mexico City.

A rear view of the bus	The engine compartment
Photos courtesy of CPTDB User "Kevin L"

Specifications

Dimensions
Length:	40' 8" (12.4m)
Width:	102" (2.57m)
Fuel Cell Engine
Technology:	Direct-H2 Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)
Stacks:	x20 13kW, 2 Parallel/Series Strings
Voltage:	450-750 VDC
Powertrain
System Voltage	100-800 VDC
Power Conditioning	0-400Hz IGBT inverter, liquid cooled
Traction Motor	Induction AC, liquid cooled
Net Shaft Power	160 kW at 1800 rpm
Peak Net Torque	2,700 ft/lbs (3,650 Nm) at 1800 rpm
Dynamic Braking	Liquid-cooled Resistor
Transmission	Fixed ratio, Direct-Drive
Hydrogen Storage
System Pressure	3,600 psig (24,800 kPa)

Phase 3 — Fleet Demonstration

Ballard Phase 3 F40LF
Photo by Ballard Power Systems
Year of manufacture	1996-1997
Manufacturer	New Flyer Industries Ballard Power Systems, Inc.
Length	40' 8" (12.4m)
Width	102" (2.57m)
Height	11' (3.4m)
Range	Approximately 225 miles (360km)
Capacity	39 passengers (seated)
Propulsion	Hydrogen Fuel Cell

The F40LF was part of a four-year-long "Phase 3" program conducted in two major urban transportation markets, Chicago Transit Authority and BC Transit / CMBC, by New Flyer Industries, Ballard Power Systems, and Xcellsis (A joint venture between DaimlerChrysler, The Ford Motor Company, and Ballard Power Systems). "Phase 3" began in June, 1996 with the construction of six prototype buses in cooperation with both transit authorities. A pre-delivery test phase first started in July, 1997 at CTA, and BC Transit/CMBC in January, 1998. Following the pre-delivery testing, a non-revenue test phase began in both cities in 1998, where employees were trained on how to drive and maintain the vehicles. The final part of the test was a two-year public service implementation with three buses in each city. Chicago was the first to begin the implementation, with the first runs starting March, 1998. Vancouver began nearly a year later, with the first runs starting in January, 1999.

A major component of the "Phase 3" test program was a head-to-head comparison against existing transit options. Thus, the performance of the Phase 3 bus was measured against diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG), and from every aspect of interest to a major transit authority. These included (among other criteria) acceleration, initial cost, operating costs, reliability, noise levels, fueling infrastructure and passenger capacity. In acceleration testing, the F40LF was about equal with Diesel and CNG buses when accelerated to 20 mph (34 km/h), but fell behind the competitors when accelerated to 30 mph (48 km/h) and 40 mph (64 km/h). This was due to the increased weight of the F40LF. Loaded to its maximum of 40 passengers (GVW limited), the F40LFs were approximately equal in weight to a CNG bus loaded with 70 passengers. Cost-wise, these buses were extremely expensive, both to purchase and to maintain. At a cost of almost $1.4 Million USD ($1.73 Million CAD), agencies could purchase 5 Diesel buses for the same amount of money. Reliability for the F40LF could be marked as poor to mediocre, with almost 600 instances between the 2 agencies where mechanics were called out to fix a problem with any one of the 1500 parts of the Fuel Cell System. Ballard Power Systems attributes the issues to the buses being "early prototypes, consisting mostly of prototype components ". As testing continued and parts continued to fail, Ballard would replace parts with newer, "next generation prototype" parts, meaning that no two F40LFs would have identical parts during the testing Phase, resulting in more complicated issues for the mechanics.

From the public standpoint, these buses were comfortable, quiet, and many had trouble believing the exhaust emission from the F40LFs was pure, unadulterated water vapor. In September, 1995, to prove this was true, Richard M. Daley, the then Mayor of Chicago, toasted to what he predicted would be the future of clean-fuel buses when he drank a glass of lukewarm water that had previously been sitting under the tailpipe of CTA 5900 on LaSalle Street in front of spectators and news reporters.

Phase 3 ended on June 30, 2000, when Vancouver officially ended their testing of the F40LFs. As for the deposition of the F40LFs, 2 of Vancouver's, P7244 and P7246, were converted to diesel-electric hybrid in around 2004 by Stewart and Stevenson, replacing the Ballard Power Systems Hydrogen Fuel Cell and associated equipment with a diesel engine and parallel hybrid system for participation in Translink's "Testing the Power of Tomorrow ". These units were in revenue service until mid-2010, when they were moved to storage and later scrapped in December of 2012. As for CTA's F40LFs, they were placed in storage at the 77th Street Garage, where as of October 2015, they still remain.

Specifications

Dimensions
Length:	40' 8" (12.4m)
Width:	102" (2.57m)
Height:	11' (3.4m)
GVWR:	41,450 lbs (18,800 kg)
Fuel Cell Engine
Technology:	Direct-H2 Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)
Model:	Ballard Mk513
Powertrain
System Voltage	600-900 VDC
Power Conditioning	IGBT inverter, liquid cooled
Traction Motor	Brushless DC, liquid cooled
Net Shaft Power	205 kW at 2100 rpm
Peak Net Torque	811 ft/lbs (1,100 Nm) at 800 rpm
Transmission	Fixed ratio, Direct-Drive
Hydrogen Storage
Method	8 standard CNG cylinders
Capacity	17,500 SCF
System Pressure	3,600 psig (24,800 kPa)

Phase 4 — the ZE-Bus

Ballard / XCELLSiS Phase 4 "P4" F40LF
Photo courtesy of Flickr User "SoCalMetro"
Year of manufacture	Early 1999
Manufacturer	New Flyer Industries Ballard Power Systems, Inc. XCELLSiS (Formerly dbb)
Length	40' 8" (12.4m)
Width	102" (2.57m)
Height	11' (3.4m)
Range	Approximately 225 miles (360km)
Capacity	39 passengers (seated)
Propulsion	Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Originally constructed by dbb Fuel Cell Engines, Inc. in early-1999, the "Phase 4" F40LF (commonly referred to in documentation as P4 or the ZE-Bus) was built using an early-1990s model New Flyer D40LF. The P4 test bus made a notable appearance at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in October, 1999 where it spent two days at the complex providing tours to introduce the public to the concept of hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles. dbb rebranded in early-2000 to XCELLSiS, as a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler, Ballard Power Systems, and the Ford Motor Company. P4 was fitted with the new XCELLSiS XCS-HY-205 Fuel Cell Engine, which resulted in a lighter, more efficient vehicle, with a startup time of only 3 seconds compared to the 45 seconds of the Phase 3 engine.

AC Transit

In November 1999, AC Transit hosted P4 to demonstrate the capabilities of fuel cell vehicles to the general public. After a satisfactory test, AC Transit made the decision to join the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) to help fund further developments in fuel cell technology.

SunLine Transit

In August 2000, the newly minted XCELLSiS ZE-Bus began testing with SunLine in Thousand Palms, CA. When testing ended in September, 2001, the bus had accumulated almost 14,900 miles (24,000 km) and a total of 865 hours of run-time when it was returned to Ballard/Xcellsis in late September. The unit later returned to SunLine for demonstration purposes in September, 2002. The deposition of the bus was previously unknown until May 2020, when a Flickr user uploaded a photo of the bus in storage at Complete Coach Works in Riverside, CA.

Specifications

Dimensions
Length:	40' 8" (12.4m)
Width:	102" (2.57m)
Height:	11' (3.4m)
Curb Weight:	32,019 lbs (14,521 kg)
GVWR:	38,588 lbs (17,500 kg)
Fuel Cell Engine
Technology:	Direct-H2 Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)
Model:	XCELLSiS XCS-HY-205
Volume:	188 ft3 (5.32 m3)
Weight:	4,774 lbs (2,170 kg)
Powertrain
System Voltage	600-900 VDC
Power Conditioning	IGBT inverter, liquid cooled
Traction Motor	Brushless DC, liquid cooled
Net Shaft Power	205 kW at 2100 rpm
Peak Net Torque	811 ft/lbs (1,100 Nm) at 800 rpm
Transmission	Fixed ratio, Direct-Drive
Hydrogen Storage
Method	8 standard CNG cylinders
Capacity	17,500 SCF
System Pressure	3,600 psig (24,800 kPa)

Production

Seven prototype models and one proof-of-concept model were produced by New Flyer in conjunction with Ballard Power Systems.

Chicago units were issued 2 separate VINs, one from New Flyer for initial construction of the F40LF body and chassis, with another from Ballard upon of final construction.

Fleet Number	Thumbnail	Build Date	Operator	VIN	Notes
N/A		1993	BC Transit / VRTS	2FYF2LJ18RP015476	Proof of concept model based on D40LF. Toured Vancouver, BC and Victoria, BC in 1995. Status unknown, unit most likely scrapped.
P7244		December 1996	BC Transit / CMBC	2FYF2LJ15TU016949	Converted to DE40LF upon completion of Phase 3. Continued revenue service until mid-2010. Scrapped December, 2012.
P7245		December 1996	BC Transit / CMBC	2FYF2LJ15TU016950	Vehicle returned to Ballard upon completion of Phase 3. Status unknown, unit most likely scrapped.
P7246		December 1996	BC Transit / CMBC	2FYF2LJ15TU016951	Converted to DE40LF upon completion of Phase 3. Continued revenue service until mid-2010. Scrapped December, 2012.
5900		New Flyer: 1996 Ballard: June, 1997	Chicago Transit Authority	New Flyer: 2FYF2LJ17TU016952 Ballard: 2B9AA4021VB092002	Body shell completed and chassis in 1996 by New Flyer Industries Construction completed by Ballard Power Systems, Inc. of Burnaby, BC in June, 1997 Placed into storage upon completion of Phase 3. Awaiting final deposition at CTA's 77th St Garage as of 2022
5901		New Flyer: 1996 Ballard: June, 1997	Chicago Transit Authority	New Flyer: 2FYF2LJ19TU016953 Ballard: 2B9AA4023VB092003	Body shell completed and chassis in 1996 by New Flyer Industries Construction completed by Ballard Power Systems, Inc. of Burnaby, BC in June, 1997 Placed into storage upon completion of Phase 3. Awaiting final deposition at CTA's 77th St Garage as of 2022
5902		New Flyer: 1996 Ballard: June, 1997	Chicago Transit Authority	New Flyer: 2FYF2LJ10TU016954 Ballard: 2B9AA4025VB092004	Body shell completed and chassis in 1996 by New Flyer Industries Construction completed by Ballard Power Systems, Inc. of Burnaby, BC in June, 1997 Placed into storage upon completion of Phase 3. Awaiting final deposition at CTA's 77th St Garage as of 2022
N/A			SunLine Transit Agency	N/A	Branded as the "XCELLSiS" ZEbus Based on early (1991-94) LF model. Only Phase 4 F40LF ever constructed. Placed into storage at SunLine's garage upon completion of Phase 4. Unit sold to Complete Coach Works of Riverside, CA as of May 2020

Operators

Canada

• Ballard Power Systems - Vancouver, BC
• Coast Mountain Bus Company - Metro Vancouver, BC

United States

• Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago, IL
• SunLine Transit Agency - Coachella Valley, CA