Solaris reports its first order from Germany for the new articulated bus model Urbino 18 hydrogen, which was presented in autumn. Two of these fuel cell hydrogen buses will go to Aschaffenburg in Northern Bavaria, together with another ten of the 12-metre Urbino 12 hydrogen variant. The vehicles ordered will run on hydrogen, which is stored in gaseous form in tanks placed on the roof at the front of the vehicle. The Urbino 12 hydrogen units will be equipped with a 70 kW set of fuel cells, while the Urbino 18 hydrogen buses will boast a 100 kW fuel cell module. At moments of increased electricity demand, the fuel cell will be boosted by a Solaris High Power battery, or two of them, depending on the bus length, each with a capacity of 30 kWh.
As standard, the vehicle’s interior will feature air conditioning, cameras monitoring the passenger compartment and the immediate vicinity of the bus, as well as an advanced passenger communication system. Moreover, thanks to an automatic passenger counting system, the driver will always be kept informed as to the number of passengers currently onboard. A spacious area for the simultaneous transport of a wheelchair and a pram/pushchair or a bike has also been envisaged. Moreover, the vehicles will boast USB ports to recharge mobile devices.
Stadtwerke Aschaffenburg Verkehrs GmbH just signed the contract for the delivery of the 12 vehicles from the beginning of 2024.
DB Regio Bus orders a larger number of hydrogen buses for the first time. A framework agreement was agreed with the Portuguese manufacturer Caetano Bus for 60 cars of the type “H2 CityGold” for delivery until 2026. The railway will pay almost 40 million euros for them. The H2 CityGold are 12 m long, with 34 seats and 47 standing places.
The first vehicles are scheduled to run in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in early 2024, five of the new vehicles will be used in the Jever area, two in Rendsburg-Eckernförde. Behind the order is DB’s clear goal of phasing out the last diesel bus in 2038. In just seven years’ time, all newly procured buses are to be operated without emissions. DB Regio Bus is the largest provider of bus transport in Germany with around 470 million passengers per year.
Four Caetano hydrogen buses just started passenger service in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. Verkehr und Wasser GmbH (VWG) presented the new vehicles to the public on 9 February 2023. They are part of a joint order for 16 fuel cell buses together with Verkehrsgesellschaft Bremerhaven and Vestische Straßenbahnen GmbH. In Bremerhaven, the first 3 of the ordered 7 hydrogen buses have been running since November 2022, with a further 5 going to Vestische Vestische Straßenbahnen.
