The University of California, Irvine will receive its first zero emission fuel-cell hybrid bus in 2015 which will join the current fleet used on Anteater Express daily routes. The project is funded through the California Energy Commission under its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. Ballard Power Systems will be the fuel cell engine provider, El Dorado National will be responsible for manufacturing the bus chassis, BAE Systems will be the system integrator and will provide the hybrid powertrain, and UCI in addition to being the selected deployment location, will monitor bus performance.

The 40 foot long bus is designed to achieve a range of 260 miles under a typical urban transit cycle while transporting up to 37 seated passengers plus 19 standees. This performance is made possible using Ballard's sixth generation FCvelocity-HD6 150 kW power plant, 200 kW of electrical energy storage, and 50 kg of hydrogen at 350bar for fuel storage.

The power module features a control unit that interfaces with a system controller, making it a "plug-and-play" product for any fuel-cell or hybrid fuel-cell bus platform. The module also offers significant advances in durability, power density, and fuel efficiency compared to earlier generations. This bus configuration will be manufactured at the El Dorado National facility in Riverside, California and is the only Buy American Act (BAA) compliant Fuel Cell Bus in the U.S.