From September 2025, ten electric hydrogen buses from Italian manufacturer RAMPINI will be operating on lines 2A and 3A through Vienna’s city centre. The first of these has now been presented to the press.
The ten new minibuses with hydrogen-electric technology will replace the existing RAMPINI electric minibuses on lines 2A and 3A in Vienna’s city centre. Thanks to their extended range, no charging infrastructure is required in the city centre, and the vehicle fleet for lines 2A and 3A can be reduced from twelve to ten buses. The short two-pole overhead line installed in the city centre (at Schwarzenbergplatz terminus), which enables the Rampini mini electric buses used to date to be recharged via a conventional roof-minemounted pantograph, will be dismantled. These older Rampìni electric buses with Siemens electric equipment will be taken out of service.
The new E-H2 buses from Italian manufacturer RAMPINI have been extensively tested in advance and offer a significant performance boost compared to purely electric buses. The synchronous electric motor (PSM) has a maximum output of 230 kW and draws its energy not only from a 170 kWh battery. A hydrogen fuel cell generates new electrical energy while the bus is in motion, enabling it to operate all day without recharging thanks to this ‘range extender technology’. The Hy4Drive system, developed in-house by RAMPINI and nominated for the Busworld Europe ‘Digital Award’ 2023, can choose between four charging and driving modes, which are adapted to the respective conditions and battery status. The ‘Hydron’ is powered by a 30 kW fuel cell system or, alternatively, via CCS charging with up to 150 kW, controlled by the Hy4Drive software. The energy is stored in a 175 kWh LTO (lithium titanate oxide) battery.
Wiener Linien, together with the Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure and the EU, is investing around 12 million euros in the purchase and maintenance of the new RAMPINI buses. The purchase of the battery-hydrogen buses is being funded by the EU through the EBIN programme of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure.
The new, fully air-conditioned buses are based at the Wiener Netze campus in Simmering. Here, they are refuelled and charged at a H2 filling station and charging station operated by Wien Energie. They are refuelled with green hydrogen, which is produced directly on site in the electrolysis plant using green electricity.
Wiener Linien e-buses
The battery-hydrogen buses complement the fleet of battery electric buses, for which the new competence centre for electromobility in Siebenhirten (23rd district) was opened in 2024. Nine bus routes in Liesing and Simmering have now been converted to pure electric drive, with a total of 50 twelve-metre-long Mercedes buses in service. Further routes, such as line 59A, will follow later this year.
Technical data RAMPINI HYDRON:
- Type designation: Rampini Hydron
- Manufacturer: Rampini Carlo S.p.A.
- Production location: Passignano sul Trasimeno (Perugia/Italy)
- Dimensions: Length: 8 metres, width: 2.2 metres, height: 3.25 metres
- Total capacity: 42 passengers (13 seats and 28 standing places, 1 combination seat)
- Energy storage/generator: 175 kWh traction battery (LTO) and fuel cell with 30 kW output
- Drive type: electric synchronous central motor (PSM) with 230 kW peak output
- Hydrogen storage: 3 type IV hydrogen tanks on the roof, each with a capacity of 5 kg (total capacity: 15 kg)
- Range: approx. 350 km depending on hydrogen consumption and operating mode
More about recent developments on emission-free buses in Vienna here:
