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The project -led by Anglo American, Colbún, Corfo and Reborn Electric Motors- shows its progress and projects that the vehicle could be operational during the first quarter of next year.
A group of companies made up of Anglo American, Colbún and Reborn Electric Motors, with the support of the Production Development Corporation (Corfo) and with the National Piloting Center and Fundación Chile as strategic partners, announced in December 2023 its intention to build the first hydrogen bus developed and manufactured entirely, and from scratch, in Chile.
Seven months later, representatives from all the entities involved met at the Reborn factory located in Rancagua, OHiggins Region, to present the progress, challenges and projections of this iconic project. Among the new developments are the arrival, assembly and start-up of the hydrogen fuel cell, as well as the test set-up that has been implemented.
This project has a budget of US$755 thousand financed in equal parts by Anglo American, Colbún and Corfo, and its development is being carried out by Reborn Electric Motors, a Chilean technology startup.
This hydrogen-powered vehicle will have capacity for 24 passengers and a projected range of 450 kilometres, reaching a maximum speed of 90 km/h. Its dimensions will be 8.5 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and 3.4 metres high, and it will be equipped with fuel storage tanks with a capacity of approximately 20 kg, which will allow it to operate in various environments, including industrial, urban and rural. The roadmap covers all stages of building the bus locally, from engineering designs to commercial validation of the model.
During the road testing phase, the National Piloting Center (CNP) will pilot and validate the key components and performance of the bus. Once operational, the vehicle will be subjected to test runs in different conditions to ensure that the expected design, autonomy and performance are optimal. “We observed on the ground that the development progress is in accordance with the schedule, which is reflected in the activation of the cell and the assembly in progress,” said Andrés González, general manager of the CNP.
The bus will be used in everyday environments, including public roads, and is also expected to be used in Chilean schools and universities to promote technology transfer and future scalability.
The bus assembly process has already begun, and according to the companies, the objective is “progressing according to plan and could be operational during the first quarter of next year.”
The most talked about moment by the attendees was when the hydrogen fuel cell was shown, an essential component that functions as the “heart” of the bus, generating electricity from this energy vector. This cell, similar in importance to the engine in a diesel vehicle, is already installed in its final location inside the bus and is in the initial testing phase in laboratory mode, connected to external systems. |
