The city of Wałbrzych in south-western Poland has placed an order for 20 Urbino 12 Hydrogen buses from Solaris, with an additional option for 25 more buses. This procurement marks the city’s first venture into hydrogen-powered buses, with deliveries scheduled to commence in September 2024.
Wałbrzych, with a population of around 110,000, joins several other Polish cities, including Konin, Poznań, and Lublin, in investing in sustainable hydrogen-based public transport using buses from Solaris.
The delivery timeline for the Urbino 12 Hydrogen buses for Wałbrzych involves the first 14 units arriving in September 2024, followed by the remaining six buses by July 2025. The announcement does not provide specific details about the ordered vehicles.
Solaris introduced the Urbino 12 Hydrogen, the current generation of its twelve-meter solo bus with a fuel cell, in 2019. The Urbino 18 Hydrogen FC articulated bus was launched in the market in September 2022. The two models feature slightly different fuel cell systems, with the twelve-meter version equipped with 70 kW hydrogen fuel cell units, while the longer version boasts 100 kW.
Dariusz Michalak, CTO at Solaris Bus & Coach, expressed pride in being chosen as a partner by the city of Wałbrzych to introduce hydrogen technology to its public transport system. Solaris reports having delivered over 150 hydrogen buses to date, with more than 450 additional units on order