Ballard Power Systems congratulates transit authority Regional Verkehr Koln (RVK) of Cologne, Germany as well as Van Hool NV, Europe's fourth largest bus manufacturer, for delivery of two (2) 13 meter (40 foot) buses powered by Ballard's FCvelocity®-HD6 fuel cell modules.

COLOGNE, GERMANY – Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP)(TSX: BLD) congratulates transit authority Regional Verkehr Koln (RVK) of Cologne, Germany as well as Van Hool NV, Europe's fourth largest bus manufacturer, for delivery of two (2) 13 meter (40 foot) buses powered by Ballard's FCvelocity®-HD6 fuel cell modules.

These buses are joining two 18 meter (60 foot) VDL-Phileas model fuel cell buses powered by Ballard, which were deployed in 2011 with RVK and are currently in regular transit service. Procurement of these latest buses has been funded by NOW, the German state and North-Rhine Westphalia region funding agency.

These two latest fuel cell buses are A330 models supplied by Belgium-based Van Hool, Ballard's partner in Europe. With delivery of the buses, which have a ridership capacity comparable to standard diesel buses, RVK is taking a step toward fulfillment of its goal of "Zero Emission" public transport by 2030. Ballard and Van Hool have previously supplied buses to a number of other European cities, including: Oslo, Norway; San Remo, Italy; Flanders, Belgium; and Aberdeen, Scotland.

The Cologne region is home to a substantial chemical industry producing large amounts of by-product hydrogen. This will be used as a source of fuel for the buses, in conjunction with an existing hydrogen fueling station.

Ballard's FCvelocity®-HD6 fuel cell module delivers 150 kilowatts (kW) of power, which is stored in lithium-ion batteries onboard each A330 fuel cell hybrid bus. These batteries, in turn, deliver power to two 85 kW electric engines on each bus.

Ballard's sixth generation FCvelocity®-HD6 fuel cell module features a control unit which 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 generation products.

Increased volumes of fuel cell-powered buses would support cost and price reductions through scale economies, enabling increased competitive positioning of fuel cell solutions compared to incumbent transit technologies.

Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP) (TSX: BLD) provides clean energy fuel cell products enabling optimized power systems for a range of applications. Products deliver incomparable performance, durability and versatility. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.

Forward Looking Statement: This release contains forward-looking statements concerning product attributes, corresponding value propositions for our customers and anticipated market drivers. These forward-looking statements reflect Ballard's current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any such forward-looking statements are based on Ballard's assumptions relating to its financial forecasts and expectations regarding its product development efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market demand.