MTD and Transit Partners Form the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Council

Autumn Soliman

The Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District is excited to be a founding member of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Council (HFC Bus Council), with MTD's Managing Director/CEO, Karl Gnadt, serving as their Board President. The first-of-its-kind, the HFC Bus Council launched this week as a national coalition of public transit agencies, manufacturers and suppliers working together to advance the hydrogen fuel cell electric bus economy and its applications in the public transit sector. The formation of the HFC Bus Council comes at a time of historic levels of investment in public transit, alongside nationwide commitments to transition fleets to zero emission propulsion.

The mission of the HFC Bus Council is to educate policymakers, regulators, and transportation stakeholders on the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and related infrastructure. Through effective education and advocacy, the HFC Bus Council will expand the development, deployment, and utilization of safe, clean, and efficient hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, and create additional market opportunities to advance hydrogen fuel cell technology in the delivery of public transit services.

“I’m proud to be serving on the Founding Board of this organization, working to educate government officials and my colleagues in the transit industry on the viable and scalable zero emission solution that is hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Karl Gnadt, HFC Bus Council Board President and Managing Director/CEO of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD).

The HFC Bus Council members share in the commitment to advance an environment that supports investment in and the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric bus technology. Founding members include MTD, SunLine Transit Agency, Stark Area Regional Transit Authority, Foothill Transit, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Utah Transit Authority, Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo), Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid), Intercity Transit, Sangamon Mass Transit District, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, NFI Group Inc., ENC, Hexagon Purus, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Trillium Energy Solutions, Ivys Energy Solutions, Ballard Power Systems, and Nel Hydrogen.

The HFC Bus Council supports the adoption of battery electric propulsion systems and encourages the use of local, state, and federal resources to further build upon existing zero emission technologies.