All About Orlando

The next time you visit Orlando, Florida and come in by way of the Orlando International Airport you might be in for a nice surprise. Visitors to the airport will now be riding new hydrogen powered shuttle buses. The airport currently has four of these clean air buses and hopes to add more in the future.

Orlando International Airport is currently testing four brand new Ford shuttle vans equipped with internal combustion engines that have been modified to run on hydrogen rather than gasoline.

“It’s quiet, it doesn’t shake like diesel, it doesn’t have that diesel smell,” said Rafael Sanchez, one of the driviers for the new vans. The much quieter engine used on these shuttle buses makes normal conversation inside the bus easier than in conventional vehicles. The ride is also smoother than what one might expect.

Ronald Lewis, director of airport operations, said: “Hydrogen is one of the many technologies we are exploring, trying to become more of a green airport.”

Wheeled vehicles that are powered with hydrogen engines are different than those vehicles that run with the help of hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are considered a highly valuable option for green machines.

A look under the hood shows that the modified engines used in the Ford E-450 shuttle buses are 6.8 liter V-10s. The current fleet at the airport also includes three gas-electric hybrid vehicles and 24 bio-diesel buses. The facility also powers its maintenance equipment with bio-diesel. These include machines such as tractors and lawn mowers. All in all, the Orlando International Airport is taking some great steps forward to clean the air.

The airport project has several expected goals: The first is to get average consumers acquainted with hydrogen and how it can be used in practical applications. The second is to gather important data on the vehicles’ performance in a setting where they are in use almost nonstop. This data can be used later on to make refinements to the engine systems.

Airport Operations Director Lewis said being in on the hydrogen experiment early could pay off in the long run. “We are hopeful that since they built the facility here, the only one in the southeast United States, that there will be a long-term usage for it.”

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Filed under: Environment