It showed good driving performance, particularly in dense city areas, and the prospects for the technology are promising. The bus will be available for demonstration fleets in 2003. Introduction Hydrogen has the potential to become the new, efficient and environmentally-friendly energy carrier of the future. Hydrogen is an optimum fuel for fuel cells, where free hydrogen and oxygen are fed into the cell and an electrochemical reaction generates electricity directly. The Nebus and its first passengers in Oslo Vehicles powered by fuel cells using hydrogen are environmentally friendly the only emission is pure water.
Noise levels are low compared to vehicles fitted with internal combustion engines.
As a result, fuel cell-powered vehicles are perfect for urban areas, where emissions and noise are major problems. There are, however, several options for producing hydrogen from renewable sources, such as wind power, waste gasification and biomass. Hydrogen can also be produced on a large-scale from natural gas, with CO2 sequestration and desposition. The Greater Oslo Transport Authority and Norsk Hydro have been evaluating hydrogen as a fuel for bus operation since 1994. In 1997, DaimlerChrysler developed Nebus, a demonstration bus powered by fuel cells operating on hydrogen.