Solaris, the Polish manufacturer of electric buses, has announced its largest single order for hydrogen buses to date from the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The municipal company Rebus Regionalbus Rostock has ordered 52 fuel cell buses from Solaris, including 47 vehicles with a length of twelve metres and five articulated buses.
Rebus Regionalbus, which is responsible for public transport in the Rostock region, plans to invest €40 million to convert to hydrogen public transport. The company currently operates 170 diesel buses and expects to commission the fuel cell vehicles in the first quarter of 2025. The average distance travelled on the routes will be 200 kilometres.
Parallel to the procurement of the hydrogen buses, two hydrogen filling stations will be built at the Güstrow and the Bad Doberan depots, which are part of the initial investment of €30 million for the buses and €10 million for the H2 fuelling stations and the conversion of workshops.
Solaris emerged as the winner of a Europewide tender and will deliver the 52 hydrogen buses by the end of 2024. The two models ordered are the Urbino 12 hydrogen and the Urbino 18 hydrogen. According to Solaris, the twelve-metre version will be fitted with 70 kW hydrogen fuel cell units, while the longer version will have 100 kW. On board, the models will also have a heat pump.
Rebus Regionalbus is looking to completely switch its fleet to hydrogen in the long term, supported by the German government. 80 per cent of the additional costs of the fuel cell vehicles compared to diesel variants will be covered by the Federal Ministry of Transport. The district will provide another €1.8 million.
Solaris has already delivered more than 100 hydrogen Urbino buses to transport companies in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland. Another 100 hydrogen vehicles are currently in production. The articulated version of the Solaris hydrogen bus, five of which will also go to the Rostock district, is the latest model in the Solaris portfolio and was launched in September 2022.
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The announcement of this record order for hydrogen buses from Solaris highlights the increasing demand for zero-emission public transport solutions in Europe. With the support of government incentives, more and more municipalities and transport companies are turning to hydrogen buses to help reduce emissions and improve air quality in their cities.
