Ideanomics to bring hydrogen-powered transit buses to New York

Ideanomics, a global company focused on accelerating the commercial adoption of zero-emission vehicles, today announced that the company has been selected by Fenton Mobility Products as its partner to build five hydrogen-powered, zero-emission transit vans for the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA).

“Fenton Mobility and Ideanomics are the dream team for this project. Fenton is known for delivering the best solutions for public transportation, and Ideanomics has some of the best zero-emission products and technology,” says Macy Neshati. “I would like to thank RGRTA for its bold climate leadership, and for putting their trust in Ideanomics and Fenton, two local companies, to provide zero-emission buses made right here in the U.S.”

The value of RGRTA’s order exceeds $2.2 million. The cost of the buses is covered with funds from a $23 million grant the RGRTA received from the U.S. Department of Transportation to deploy hydrogen fuel cell buses.

“We are proud to partner with the highly respected Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. As an industry leader, Fenton continues to invest in low and no-emissions solutions. We believe hydrogen will play a key role as a future fuel,” says Scott Fenton.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fenton Mobility will deliver a pilot hydrogen fuel cell battery electric-powered high-headroom van to the RGRTA. Once the pilot vehicle completes the FTA-mandated Altoona durability testing period and is shown to meet all requirements, production will commence on five additional vehicles to be delivered by Q1 2024.

Ideanomics, through its subsidiary US Hybrid, will assemble the hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and manufacture associated components at its engineering facility in Torrance, California. Fenton Mobility will install the hydrogen propulsion kit into the vans.

“As we work to meet New York State’s goal of having a fully zero-emission bus fleet by 2035, we are focused on identifying the zero-emission solution that meets our operational needs and provides the level of reliability that our customers expect,” said Miguel Velázquez. “I thank the New York State Department of Transportation for the grant funds we received for this effort. We look forward to working with Ideanomics and Fenton Mobility to evaluate the effectiveness of hydrogen fuel-cell technology in our fleet and help New York achieve its climate change goals.”