The recently merged Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway (TSX,NYSE:CP), which has been testing hydrogen fuel cells in some of its locomotives, is sticking with a Canadian supplier for additional fuel cell engines.
CPKC has put in an order for an additional 18 200-kilowatt fuel cell engines from Ballard Power Systems (TSX,Nasdaq:BLDP) as part of the company’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program.
Fuel cells, which use hydrogen as a fuel, produce no greenhouse gas emissions.
Ballard previously supplied CPKC with 20 fuel cell engines for use in three different types of locomotives, Ballard says in a press release.
“These locomotives have been undergoing field testing in 2022 and early 2023 with successful tests, proving the capabilities of Ballard’s hydrogen fuel cell technology in locomotive applications,” Ballard says in a press release.
“The success of these trials, combined with the need to achieve CPKC’s emissions goals, has resulted in the significant expansion of the original hydrogen locomotive program.”
“Our hydrogen locomotive program has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from locomotive operations, supporting the transition to a lower-carbon future in the freight rail sector,” said Kyle Mulligan, assistant vice president of operations for CPKC.
“We are excited to expand development of these pioneering zero-emission locomotives with collaborators like Ballard.”
