During the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games British Columbia operated the worlds largest fleet of fuel cell powered buses in a single location to date. Where no car is allowed hydrogen busses are. BC Transit low – floor hydrogen buses have a range of 450 – 500 kilometers and a top speed of 90 km/h. Air Liquide installed a hydrogen refuelling station in Vancouver for this occasion.
Comparing to the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics the 2010 Olympic Games are greener than ever. Still the first Olympic Games that used hydrogen vehicles were in Turin in 2006. The 2006 Fiat Panda Hydrogen Concept was presented there, and again Air Liquide provided the supply for the hydrogen refuelling station. The future looks bright for hydrogen at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games that will be held in London. A taxi cab that runs on the latest hydrogen fuel cell technology is being developed with the aim of being ready for full road trials in time for the 2012 Olympics. London’s deputy mayor, Kit Malthouse, announced last year that by 2012 there would be six hydrogen refuelloing stations in the capital. He said he wanted around 20-50 taxis in operation by then, as well as 150 hydrogen-powered buses. In addition to the ITM Power, who is developing engineering solutions for low-cost low-carbon hydrogen generation refueling stations, Air Products will dispense hydrogen fuel from mobile trailers. The Air Products mobile refueling units will be parked at local gas stations around London providing compressed H2 gas for the black taxis during the 2012 Olympics.