Intelligent Transport Podcast Episode 10 – David Yorke, Ballard Power Systems

Intelligent Transport Podcast

Intelligent Transport Podcast · Intelligent Transport Podcast Episode 10 – David Yorke, Ballard Power Systems

On this episode of the Intelligent Transport Podcast, sponsored by Ballard Power Systems, we catch up with David Yorke, who joined Ballard Power Systems as Market Development Manager in April 2020, to find out more about “the other electric bus”.

During the interview, there’s discussion on how important it is to keep sustainability and air quality front of mind despite the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that the economic recovery that follows is green.

As part of that discussion, David also identifies why fuel cell electric buses are important to that recovery, and how their total cost of ownership is levelling out compared to the TCO of battery electric buses. There’s also a look into depot operations and how the adoption of fuel cell electric buses is more of a ‘straight swap’ for diesel buses, with a gentler learning curve for depot staff. This also encompasses the space requirements for the relevant infrastructure to support the implementation of fuel cell electric vehicles.

This then leads us onto the ultimate question – battery electric vs fuel cell electric vehicles. David explains what the competition in the market is like at the moment, and sheds some light on the sorts of conversations he’s having with the bus sector to help people make the right decision for them. David also talks about the technologies themselves and offers his view into how each will progress in the coming years, encompassing points around range and durability.

Biography

David joined the Ballard Power Systems European team as Market Development Manager based in the UK. David focuses on accelerating the demand for fuel cell heavy duty vehicles, especially transit buses, in the UK, Benelux and France.

David brings his in-depth knowledge of transit bus operation and his experience with zero emission buses. He has overseen all aspects of the London hydrogen fuel cell projects which included the EU-funded projects “ChiC” and “3Emotion”. This encompassed the manufacturing of the buses, the set-up of the facilities and the daily operation of the buses in close collaboration with various stakeholder groups.