Ballard's Fuel Cell Module Powers The First BC Transit Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Bus

Ballard's Fuel Cell Module Powers The First BC Transit Zero-Emission Fuel Cell
Bus

VANCOUVER, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD;
NASDAQ: BLDP) congratulates BC Transit, the Province of British Columbia, the
Government of Canada, and its consortium partners on the introduction of the
first bus in BC Transit's fleet of 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses.
Representatives from Ballard were on site as Premier Gordon Campbell unveiled
"Bus 1" on Friday, October 3, 2009 in Vancouver. BC Transit's fleet will
become the largest single deployment of zero-emission fuel cell buses
worldwide and it is powered by Ballard's heavy-duty fuel cell module, the
FCvelocity(TM)-HD6.
"All of us at Ballard are proud of to be partners in helping BC lead the way
in adopting new technologies that support sustainable practices and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions," said John Sheridan, Ballard's President and Chief
Executive Officer. "The BC Transit fuel cell bus fleet is an important proof
point for the level of robustness and durability offered by Ballard clean
energy products - not only in buses but also in material handling and
stationary power."
Fuel cell buses are zero-emission vehicles, with no greenhouse gases,
particulates, or harmful emissions released during operation. Water is the
only byproduct. BC Transit's fleet of fuel cell buses is expected to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by around 1,800 tonnes per year in British Columbia.
Ballard's FCvelocity(TM)-HD6 is ideal for integration into bus applications.
It is designed to be a plug-and-play solution for any fuel cell or hybrid fuel
cell bus platform and to be robust and durable in harsh motive conditions. The
BC Transit fleet is the first that incorporates Ballard's heavy-duty fuel cell
module into a hybrid fuel cell/battery architecture with an electric drive,
which enables higher vehicle efficiency and improved fuel cell durability.
BC Transit's fleet of fuel cell buses will operate in revenue service in the
Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia during the 2010 Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games and beyond.

About Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) is recognized as a world leader
in the design, development, manufacture and sale of clean energy fuel cell
products. Ballard's mission is to accelerate fuel cell product adoption. To
learn more about what Ballard is doing with Power to Change the World(R),
visit www.ballard.com.

SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.

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