(Owińska/Poland) – The municipal transport company TPER of the city of Bologna is purchasing 130 hydrogen buses from the Polish vehicle manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z oo The order for the “Urbino 12” (twelve meter) type includes 127 units for Bologna itself and three units for the nearby city of Ferrara. The transport company can optionally order a further 140 vehicles.
The 70-kilowatt fuel cell draws hydrogen from five composite tanks mounted on the roof of the bus. With the tanks, which hold a total of 37,5 kilograms, the vehicle can travel around 350 kilometers, according to the manufacturer. The first batch of 37 hydrogen buses will be delivered in 2024, the rest in 2025/2026.
36 buses go to Barcelona
The Spanish transport company Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has also decided on hydrogen buses. Following a tender, the company has now awarded a contract for 36 vehicles to Solaris Bus Ibérica. According to TMB, the order volume is more than 23 million euros, and the Ministry of Transport is supporting the purchase. It was not stated which model this was. The buses are used in local public transport. The Spanish energy company Iberdrola SA completed and put into operation the first public green hydrogen filling station in Spain for TMB in April 2022.
So far, TMB has eight hydrogen units from the Portuguese manufacturer Caetano Bus. Next year, the fleet will include a total of 232 electric and 44 hydrogen buses and the proportion of emission-free vehicles will then be 25 percent. Further purchases are also planned. TMB puts the spending volume on zero-emission vehicles at 410 million by 2026.
Cologne orders 18 more H2 buses
Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) had already published a bus order in mid-August. Accordingly, the transport company is expanding its hydrogen fleet, which already consists of 35 “Urbino 12” vehicles, by 18 “Urbino 18” articulated buses.
Cologne orders 18 examples of the “Urbino 18” hydrogen articulated bus. © Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z oo
The 100-kilowatt fuel cell pack can utilize more than 50 kilograms of hydrogen gas stored in eight tanks on the vehicle roof. According to Solaris, the range is 350 kilometers, regardless of weather and topographical conditions. In order to cover the increased power requirement, the fuel cell is also supported by two batteries with a capacity of 30 kilowatt hours each. According to the manufacturer, this is RVK's third order. The Urbino long version has been on the market since October 2022. Delivery to Cologne is planned for the second half of 2024.
In April last year, RVK said it received funding from the Federal Ministry of Transport for 108 fuel cell buses. In total, the procurement of 29 hydrogen-powered articulated buses will be supported. The RVK fleet currently includes 72 H2 buses. Additional vehicles from the funding program are intended to gradually rejuvenate the fleet in a climate-friendly manner, according to the transport company.
Photos
Solaris is to deliver 130 “Urbino 12” to Barcelona. © Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z oo
