(Reußenköge/Niebüll) – GP Joule GmbH has handed over two fuel cell buses to Autokraft GmbH, a subsidiary of DB Regio Bus Nord. They are intended to serve on regular services in North Frisia. According to the company, the final phase of the “eFarm” project in Niebüll has now been put into practice.
The vehicles are refueled at the two gas stations in Niebüll and Husum that are part of the project with climate-neutral hydrogen, which is generated using regional wind power (we reported). One tank of fuel is enough for 400 kilometers, which corresponds to a regular day of regular service. This means “the buses could be used flexibly on 50 bus connections around Niebüll and Husum”.
The two two-door low-floor buses of the “H2.City Gold” type come from the Portuguese manufacturer CaetanoBus. Toyota's hydrogen tanks, batteries and fuel cell system are placed on the roof of the vehicles. In the event of a collision, the hydrogen supply from the tank is stopped immediately using accident and leakage sensors.
The hydrogen joint project “eFarm” was initiated by GP Joule in 2017. 20 regional shareholders are now involved, including community wind and solar parks as well as municipal utilities. As part of the project, a local hydrogen infrastructure was created, ranging from production through electrolysis to distribution and fleet use in fuel cell vehicles. The project includes five electrolysis sites near existing wind farms, two hydrogen filling stations, two fuel cell buses and so far 30 fuel cell cars. There are already interested parties in purchasing around 100 more vehicles.
Autokraft GmbH, headquartered in Hamburg, is a subsidiary of DB Regio AG and operates most of the bus transport in the Nordfriesland district from its locations in Niebüll, Husum, Garding and Sankt-Peter-Ording. Around 100 buses are used for this purpose.
Photos
The two-door low-floor buses come from the Portuguese manufacturer CaetanoBus. / © JP Joule
