Ballard Power Systems Signs Long Term Supply Agreement with Canadian Pacific Kansas City for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Engines
Key Ideas
- Ballard Power Systems signs LTSA with CPKC for 98 fuel cell engines, totaling 20 MW of fuel cell power for North American freight rail market by 2025.
- CPKC and Ballard's partnership includes successful integration of fuel cell engines into hydrogen-powered locomotives for freight service in Alberta, Canada.
- CPKC's hydrogen locomotive program expects to expand with Ballard's fuel cell engines to decarbonize the locomotive fleet and electrify freight rail in North America.
- The use of hydrogen fuel cells in locomotives provides environmental benefits, long range, fast refueling, heavy payloads, and operation in cold weather conditions.
Ballard Power Systems has signed a new Long Term Supply Agreement (LTSA) with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) for the supply of 98 fuel cell engines to be used in the North American freight rail market. These fuel cell engines, each with a 200 kW nameplate, will total approximately 20 megawatts (MW) of fuel cell power, with deliveries expected to be completed by 2025. The partnership between Ballard and CPKC began in 2021 and has already seen the successful integration of Ballard fuel cell engines into hydrogen-powered locomotives for freight service applications in Alberta, Canada. The collaboration aims to support CPKC's hydrogen locomotive program and contribute to the decarbonization of the locomotive fleet and electrification of freight rail in North America. The use of hydrogen fuel cells in locomotives is seen as a step towards a sustainable future, offering environmental benefits along with long range, fast refueling, heavy payloads, and the ability to operate in cold weather conditions. This initiative reflects CPKC's vision for decarbonization and confidence in hydrogen fuel cells as a potential replacement for diesel engines. Prototype diesel freight locomotives retrofitted with hydrogen fuel cells, storage, and battery packs have been undergoing testing at CPKC since 2022, with three hydrogen locomotives currently in operation. Ballard Power Systems aims to deliver fuel cell power for a sustainable planet by enabling electrification of mobility in various sectors such as buses, trucks, trains, marine vessels, and stationary power.