CHIC

Clean Hydrogen In European Cities  

The project CHIC is seen as the essential next step leading to the full market commercialisation of fuel cell buses and their hydrogen supply infrastructure.

CHIC will facilitate the integration of fuel cell buses, powered by hydrogen fuel, into daily operations in Aargau (Switzerland), Bolzano (Italy), London (United Kingdom), Milan (Italy) and Oslo (Norway). 26 latest-generation buses (hybrid systems with a fuel cell and a battery) from different manufacturers will be in service up to 2016. The refuelling station will be open also for passenger vehicles form outside the project.

Integrated into CHIC are further cities (called Phase 0 Partners) that already operate hydrogen vehicles and refuelling stations (Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne from Germany and Whistler in British Columbia/Canada). They will forward their experiences to the five new sites (Phase 1 Partners).

From 2012, a transfer of expertise is going to take place to further regions throughout Europe (Phase 2) which are in the planning stage for related activities.

CHIC is the third in a string of projects that aim at introducing and optimising the use of hydrogen as a fuel in public transport. Up to end of 2009, more than 8,5 million passengers were transported safely in the CUTE and HyFLEET:CUTE projects. Over 555.000 kg of hydrogen, largely derived from renewable energy, substituted more than 1 million litres of diesel.

PLANET's role

PLANET has been involved in these activities since 2001, from the beginning of the CUTE project. In CHIC, we are again in charge of the infrastructure performance assessment.

PLANET also co-ordinates the scale-up of refuelling capacity as well as capturing and forwarding best practices in the infrastructure domain.

Managing Director Klaus Stolzenburg has been elected to the Steering Committee.