The City of Raleigh Transportation Department (GoRaleigh) seeks a consultant to determine the feasibility of implementing fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) for its fixed-route public transit fleet. Elements of the project include, but are not limited to, understanding the bus technology and the financial, operational, environmental outcomes of operating these buses. A particular consideration includes an evaluation of the City’s Bioenergy Recovery Project to determine how/if the project’s biogas can be utilized to produce hydrogen for use in FCEBs. In addition to the stand-alone evaluation for GoRaleigh, a separate assessment will be conducted for the Chapel Hill fleet, focusing solely on the potential for cost efficiencies through hydrogen procurement. This analysis will not include any infrastructure or facility changes at Chapel Hill but will incorporate their fleet numbers to evaluate the potential benefits of purchasing hydrogen in bulk. By assessing their fleet separately, the consultant will determine if integrating Chapel Hill’s hydrogen needs with GoRaleigh’s supply chain could reduce costs for both fleets while maintaining independent operations and procurement strategies. The study will compare hydrogen supply options for Chapel Hill without affecting GoRaleigh’s infrastructure decisions.
