INDUSTRY FOCUS: Alternative Propulsion Systems
The “H2.CityGold” hydrogen bus model of Portuguese bus and chassis manufacturer CaetanoBus was tested by Spanish private bus operator ALSA on an urban route in Torrejón de Ardoz, 20 km east of the capital city Madrid. The innovative bus was presented to the public in an official ceremony held in in the center of Madrid by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, together with the Regional Minister of Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure, Ángel Garrido, and the President of ALSA, Jorge Cosmen, on 23 February 2021.
ALSA is part of the National Express group, and has a modern fleet of approximately 4,400 buses, which transport more than 392 million passengers per year. In Greater Madrid area ALSA operates a variety of urban and interurban bus routes. Long-term planning foresees the substitution of all current city buses by cero-emission vehicles by 2030. The delevopment of hyrogen buses is closely monitored – it is planned to incorporate some fuel cell buses on urban services in the short run, and on interurban routes within the next 3 years.
The test cycle on line L4 in Torrejón de Ardoz had a duration of two weeks and was successfully finished in early March 2021, for delivery later this year.
CaetanoBus had received a first firm order for eight such fuel cell buses from TMB Barcelona in early December 2020. – UTM/db –
Where does the hydrogen come from?