The city of Burbank, California will take part in a pilot program to test a new zero-emissions, ultra-quiet prototype bus that uses a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a diesel or gasoline engine. The groundbreaking vehicle will be unveiled in a Spring 2009 Downtown Burbank function and then go into prompt service on diverse routes within the City’s BurbankBus network.

Designed and fabricated by Colorado-based Proterra, the radical vehicle can journey 250 miles before needing to be recharged, runs at double the fuel efficiency of a diesel bus and releases nothing but water from the engine exhaust. In addition to being created and assembled in this nation, it relies on energy that is completely derived from American sources, thereby reducing dependency on foreign sources of energy.

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