Following the delivery of four pre-series vehicles in October 2022, the public transport operators AVM/ACTV (Azienda Veneziana della Mobilità / Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano) in Venice announced the large-scale introduction of hydrogen buses. In autumn 2023, they placed an order with the Polish manufacturer Solaris for a total of 90 such vehicles. Of these, 75 are standard 12-metre buses of the Urbino 12 hydrogen type, while a further 15 are articulated Urbino 18 hydrogen buses.
The vehicles are currently being delivered and are gradually arriving in Italy. The full fleet is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. At the same time, the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen supply and refuelling is being expanded to support operations. Following extensive testing, the buses will enter regular passenger service, with deployment planned on heavily used routes such as lines 2, 4L and 7. In February 2026, the first six vehicles were presented at ACTV’s depot in Mestre.
Key technical specifications:
Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen
• Length: 12,000 mm
• Drivetrain: ZF AVE 130 electric portal axle (2 × 125 kW motors)
• Fuel cell: 70 kW
• Hydrogen capacity: 5 × 312-litre tanks (approx. 37.5 kg)
• Range: approx. 350 km
• Passenger capacity: approx. 87 passengers
Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen (articulated bus)
• Length: 18,000 mm
• Drivetrain: central motor
• Fuel cell: 100 kW
• Hydrogen capacity: 5 × 312-litre + 3 × 190-litre tanks (approx. 51.2 kg)
• Range: approx. 350 km
• Battery: approx. 60 kWh (LTO)
