Solaris hydrogen fuel cell bus, the Urbino, was launched in 2019. Now 40 customers from 10 European countries have ordered more than 700 of the vehicles
The Urbino hydrogen bus is so successful there’s a waiting list. Launched in 2019 as a 12-metre vehicles powered solely by a hydrogen fuel cell, followed by the launch of an articulated 18-metre version three years later.
Solaris, which also makes electric buses, is a European leader in deploying hydrogen technology in public transport and now an experienced partner for 40 operators. So far, the manufacturer has delivered nearly 200 hydrogen-powered vehicles. Solaris is now working on the completion of orders for at least another 500 hydrogen vehicles, and hydrogen buses account for an increasingly significant share in the production mix of the manufacturer.
Over the last few months, Solaris has landed several particularly prestigious orders for its hydrogen vehicles. In September 2023, the company signed the biggest ever one-off contract in Europe for the delivery of hydrogen buses. The municipal public transport operator TPER, in the city of Bologna, purchased as many as 130 Urbino 12 hydrogen buses. In addition, the carrier will also have the possibility to extend the order by another 140 vehicles.
Another Italian public transport operator, Azienda Veneziana della Mobilita, has ordered an impressive number of 90 Urbino hydrogen vehicles, including 75 12-metre and 15 articulated units. These zero-emission hydrogen buses will be put into operation both on the mainland and on the islands of the Venetian Lagoon. This contract also stipulates an option to extend the order by an additional 23 vehicles.
An equally considerable order has been secured by the bus maker in the German market. The German carrier RVK Köln has yet again opted for Solaris hydrogen buses, for a third time. Its impressive fleet of 35 Solaris hydrogen buses will be joined by 18 articulated vehicles that boast hydrogen fuel cell technology. The Urbino 18 hydrogen model, selected by RVK, will feature cutting-edge driver assistance systems.
Recognising the ongoing development of the hydrogen vehicle market, and thus seeing a growing number of orders for buses powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, Solaris has been strengthening this particular area of its business activity.
Solaris’s impressive order book – containing orders for vehicles from customers from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia – is reflected in market data. In 2018 there were no hydrogen powered buses in Europe. In 2022, 99 hydrogen buses were registered in Europe for public transport purposes. Though data for the whole of 2023 is not yet in, in the first three quarters of 2023 137 new buses had been registered.
In a press statement the company said: “As predicted, the zero-emission bus market is anticipated to grow over the next few years. European countries have ambitious emission reduction goals, and hydrogen buses are considered a viable solution to help meet these targets and to improve urban air quality. According to the current position of the Council and the European Parliament, all new city buses in EU will be 100% zero-emission by 2035.
“When it comes to hydrogen refuelling stations, there are currently over 230 such stations in operation, and another 120 are under construction. Hydrogen infrastructure will be expanded, and pursuant to the AFIR Regulation coming into force in April this year, hydrogen refuelling stations will be deployed with a maximum distance of 200 km between them along the most significant EU transport corridors by 2030.”
There are a number of arguments in favour of hydrogen. The first is the fact that hydrogen is an entirely clean energy source when used as a fuel and it produces no carbon emissions. Of no less significance are such advantages as the long ranges, high energy density, fast refuelling, flexibility in managing a fleet of hydrogen vehicles, and how distinctively quiet it is in operation. However, the Solaris’s mission goes far beyond the manufacture of hydrogen vehicles themselves – the bus maker also aims to be a partner in implementing this technology in public transport.
Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. is one of the leading European bus and trolleybus manufacturers. Benefiting from 27 years of experience and having manufactured more than 23,000 vehicles, Solaris affects the quality of city transport in hundreds of cities across Europe every day. Thinking of the future, the firm is setting new standards by dynamically developing its products, in particular in the electromobility sector. Solaris products have been repeatedly awarded for quality and innovation in Poland, as well as in other countries. The Solaris Urbino 12 electric won the prestigious European “Bus of the Year 2017” competition. In September 2018 Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. joined CAF Group, which acquired 100% of the shares of the company.
