Regionalverkehr Köln, a transport service operator in the Cologne / Bonn region with eight municipal owners, reports the signing of two contracts for an impressive number of hydrogen-powered buses.
RVK is already the company in Europe that currently has the most hydrogen buses in operation. Currently there are 35 Van Hool type “New A 330 FC” and 15 Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen, making a total of 50 vehicles. They are operated from the depots in Bergisch Gladbach, Hürth, Meckenheim and Wermelskirchen and refuel with hydrogen, which is a “waste product” from the chemical industry in the region.
Now the RVK has concluded framework agreements with two manufacturers for the delivery of further hydrogen buses. Again with Solaris, but also with a manufacturer from whom RVK has never had a bus before and who is also rather unknown in “continental Europe”: Wrightbus from Northern Ireland. Wrightbus is an old and experienced bus manufacturer whose sales area has so far been limited to the United Kingdom and Ireland. But there are many Wright buses there.
RVK has firm orders for 20 buses from each of the two manufacturers, with a further 40 from Whrigtbus and 20 from Solaris as options. If all these buses were ordered, that would be 100. The first of the new Solaris are to be delivered this year, the first Wright in 2023.
And another thing: at the end of the year, RVK wants to test the first hydrogen articulated buses.
31.05.2022
