Ballard Power and Wisdom Motor Co. partner to accelerate adoption of fuel cell commercial vehicles

Fuel cells company Ballard Power Systems (Vancouver, Canada) announced on May 9 that it has entered a strategic collaboration with Wisdom (Fujian) Motor Co. Ltd., Templewater Group and Bravo Transport Services Ltd. to accelerate the adoption of commercial fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in Hong Kong.

Templewater, an alternative asset management firm and parent company of Hong Kong transit operator Bravo, and Ballard co-invested in Series A funding for Wisdom, a technology company that designs and manufactures zero-emission commercial vehicles.

The Series A funds will support Wisdom’s organizational growth, R&D and manufacturing platforms, including the expansion and development of its hydrogen zero emission fuel cell truck, bus and specialty vehicle offerings for international markets. The transaction is expected to close in Q2 2022, subject to completion of regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Wisdom’s hydrogen vehicle product lines will exclusively deploy Ballard’s PEM fuel cell technology, with modules supplied by the Weichai-Ballard Joint Venture in China. Ballard says that it intends to enter into a joint development agreement with Wisdom to advance the integration and optimization of its fuel cell electric powertrain designs and control strategies.

As part of the initial collaboration, Ballard is supporting Wisdom on the introduction of a new double-decker fuel cell bus, which is planned to be demonstrated in 2022 by Bravo as part of its initiative to replace its entire fleet of buses in Hong Kong with zero-emission models. Bravo currently operates over 1,700 buses, covering over 200 routes and carrying over 1 million passengers daily under the franchise brands of Citybus and New World First Bus.

According to Ballard, this demonstration will show the capabilities of fuel cell to meet one of the world’s most challenging operating environments, comprising of steep road grades, high passenger loads, the need for fast refueling and strong air conditioning.

Ballard Power Systems President and CEO Randy MacEwen says, “We are excited to work with Wisdom to develop customized fuel cell vehicles for emerging growth markets. Our companies have a shared vision to make a difference for our customers by providing leading edge zero emission fuel cell solutions to decarbonize our planet. We continue to see growing government support globally and are encouraged by the Hong Kong Government’s initiative to be net carbon neutral by 2050.”

As part of Ballard’s equity investment, Alfred Wong, Ballard’s Managing Director of Asia Pacific, will serve on the board of directors of Wisdom. Wong says, “We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Wisdom, Templewater, and Bravo. We see tremendous opportunity to accelerate the adoption of commercial FCEV in Hong Kong and other international bus and truck markets.”