UTC Power fuel cell bus sets record

A hydrogen bus with fuel cells provided by South Windsor-based UTC Power on Tuesday surpassed 7,000 hours in service with the original cells, a milestone unmatched in the industry.

The bus - servicing the Greater Oakland, Calif. transit district - is one of three equipped with UTC Power fuel cells that has traveled more than 255,000 miles. The average fuel economy is 65 percent better than the diesel buses in the same Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District.

UTC power - a company under Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. - also provided the fuel cell and the fueling station for the hydrogen-powered CT Transit bus that serves Greater Hartford.

Fuel cell buses produce no harmful tailpipe emissions, and the only greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of hydrogen for the fuel cells. If the hydrogen is generated by using a renewable source such as solar or wind, then the vehicles have zero greenhouse gas emissions.