Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, is set to receive 20 new zero-emission buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells. These buses will be operated by Rheinbahn, the regional public transport service provider, and will run on line 732, which connects the port, main station, and district of Eller. The hydrogen will be produced by electrolysers from Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, the regional utility company.
The first ten buses are expected to be delivered in the coming weeks, with the remaining ten currently in the ordering process. Test operation is set to begin in the second quarter of 2023, and the project has received financial support from the federal German government as well as H2 Mobility Deutschland, which provides hydrogen infrastructure.
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Klaus Klar, Chairman of the Executive Board and Labour Director of Rheinbahn, expressed excitement about the new technology, saying, “This will enable us to gather extensive knowledge for future use of this new technology.”
Although Stadtwerke is investing in an electrolyser with a capacity of one megawatt (MW) to produce green hydrogen on-site, this will not be operational until 2026 when the electrolyser will be powered by electricity from the waste incineration plant.
In the meantime, the buses will refuel at H2 Mobility’s filling station on Oerschbachstraße in Düsseldorf-Reisholz, conveniently located near Eller for the operation of line 732. However, Stadtwerke plans to build its own filling station in the district of Flingern by mid-2024, which will also be open to passenger cars.
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Julien Mounier, CEO of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, expressed his commitment to achieving climate protection goals and improving the quality of life in Düsseldorf, saying, “The investment in hydrogen technology is another important step towards achieving this goal. By 2030, we want to invest two billion euros in the development of our city and our company.”
