Hydrogen is one of the hottest topics in transit right now, but hydrogen is facing a huge challenge to reduce its cost and increase its availability across North America (and the world). Paul sits down with Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) CEO Kirt Conrad--who manages the largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses outside California--and Ballard Power Systems Dir of Market Development and Public Affairs, Tim Sasseen to talk about hydrogen as a fuel, how hydrogen fuel cells work, and how the hydrogen hub project will break down barriers to adopting hydrogen as the zero-emissions fuel of choice.

If you're interested in learning more about hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells, here is a playlist of Transit Unplugged episodes on the topic: https://transit-unplugged.captivate.fm/hydrogen-fuel-in-transit

We also have a blog post on the Transit Unplugged blog explaining how hydrogen fuel cells work: https://transitunplugged.com/transit-unplugged-transit-science-understanding-hydrogen-fuel-cells/

Some of the organizations mentioned in the show:

• Hydrogen Fuel Bus Council https://www.hfcbuscouncil.com/
• Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Hydrogen Hubs https://www.energy.gov/oced/regional-clean-hydrogen-hubs-0
• Midwest Hydrogen Center of Excellence https://www.midwesthydrogen.org/

Coming up next week we have another feed swap! This time we have past guest Brandon Bartneck with Larry Burns, former VP at GM and leader in the autonomous vehicle space, talking about the future of autonomous vehicles from The Future of Mobility. In the meantime, check out Brandon's podcast page for more great episodes. https://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

If you have a question or comment, email us at [email protected].

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• Paul Comfort, host and producer
• Julie Gates, executive producer
• Tris Hussey, editor and writer
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00:00 Introduction to Hydrogen Fuel in Public Transportation

00:35 Insights from Experts: Kirt Conrad and Tim Sasseen

02:25 Understanding Different Types of Fuel

03:49 The Role of Hydrogen in Decarbonization

15:04 The Practicalities of Hydrogen Buses

21:57 Final Thoughts and Future Prospects

24:54 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged