Ballard Power Systems has secured a multi-year supply agreement from Egyptian bus and truck producer Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles (MCV) for fuel cell engines totalling 5MW.
Under the supply agreement, the Canadian firm will initially provide 35 out 50 FCmove -HD+ engine units to MCV, building on the partnership which began in 2022.
The full delivery of Ballard’s 50 fuel cell engines is expected this year or next, supporting projects located in the EU to begin with.
“In 2024, we took in 1,600 bus engine orders across seven OEMs,” explained Oben Uluc, Vice-President for Europe Sales & Marketing at Ballard. “This agreement continues momentum into 2025,” Uluc added.
“As the fuel cell bus market continues to mature, we look forward to the use of Ballard fuel cell engines to decarbonise public transit across the globe.”
Ballard stated that its fuel cell engines have “demonstrated 99% availability and rate and zero reported safety incidents,” offering an alternative to diesel engines without compromising on “routes, capacity, availability or refuelling times.”
NFI Group’s New Flyer has regularly used Ballard fuel cells for its Xcelsior CHARGE FC hydrogen-powered buses, which are deployed across various US states.
Last November, the firm doubled its order of Ballard products with an additional 20MW purchase agreement.
However, Ballard did defer the final investment decision (FID) on its 3GW fuel cell factory in Texas last year, despite receiving $93m of government funding to support the facility.
Ballard President and CEO, Randy MacEwen, said in November, “With no material capital investments planned during this optionality period, we will reassess the underlying business case in 2026.”
Resilience tested: Ballard’s restructure to survive the hydrogen slowdown
Canadian fuel cell maker Ballard Power Systems’ biggest challenge this past year has been advancing its technology while securing commercial traction in a turbulent hydrogen market, says its President and CEO.
Randy MacEwen told H2 View that prolonged policy uncertainty, unpredictable election cycles, and funding constraints had “tested the resilience” of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry.
Compounding those factors, the Ballard President and CEO said investors “largely withdrew” from hydrogen, which led to liquidity constraints and “restricted access” to new capital.
Ballard’s leadership in hydrogen fuel cells stems from its 45-year history, performance, and deployment track record. In fact, despite a testing 2024, its total module deliveries grew by 29% in 2024 to 669.
Over the past five years, the company has further diversified its applications, adding to its mainstay focus of hydrogen buses. It has powered the first liquid hydrogen ferry in Norway and expanded sales for hydrogen trains and mining trucks.
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