November 3, 2021. Trillium, a leading provider of alternative and renewable fueling solutions, recently announced a new partnership with the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) in Illinois. MTD turned to Houston-based Trillium to design, build, operate and maintain a fueling station for hydrogen fuel cell buses. The green hydrogen is produced on-site via electrolysis.
“Trillium is proud to assist MTD in achieving its zero-emission goals by designing, building, operating and maintaining its hydrogen fueling station,” said Kim Okafor, General Manager of Zero-Emission Solutions for Trillium. “This station is revolutionary and will continue to be a benchmark for other transit agencies as they develop their clean energy plans.”
MTD’s new zero-emission buses are the first of its kind to run on hydrogen, powered entirely by 5,500 solar panels. The clean hydrogen produced is able to power over 20, 60-foot hydrogen fuel cell buses for MTD, serving the cities of Champaign, Urbana, Savoy and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The hydrogen fuel cell electric buses save over 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel per bus each year, with one bus reducing greenhouse gases up to 135 tons annually. Hydrogen fueling takes no more time than conventional diesel fueling, which enables flexible route and service designs. MTD’s fleet of 114 buses is expected to be 100% low or no emission by 2022.