Solaris to launch the articulated fuel cell bus by 2022 (and gets a 5-units order of the 12m from Mallorca)

Solaris is going to launch in the second half of the 2022 an articulated version of the Urbino hydrogen bus. It is the Polish bus builder to make this public in the framework of a press note announcing the awarding of a 5-units order (of the 12-meter) from Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the island of Mallorca. The contract is worth about €4 million.

The Board of Directors of EMT-Palma, a municipal transport company in Palma de Mallorca, has decided to purchase five fuel cell bus vehicles. This investment is part of the “Green Hyslan” project, financed with EU funds. The project objective seeks to promote the development of clean energy as part of initiatives aimed at combating climate change by 2050. As a result of the planned activities, the Spanish island is to become a European benchmark in terms of using zero-emission energy.

As many as 20 models of the same bus have been ordered in the Netherlands by Connexxion, which also belongs to Transdev group.

Solaris hydrogen bus, from 2019

The Urbino 12 hydrogen buses for are fuelled with power generated by 70 kW fuel cell. They will be driven by an axle with electric motors. Besides that, the ordered vehicles will be fitted with Solaris High Power battery acting as an additional electric power storage facility. In hydrogen buses, electric power is generated via reverse electrolysis and then transferred directly to the driveline. The sole by-products of the chemical reaction taking place in the fuel cell are heat and steam.

As for hydrogen storage technology, the Urbino 12 hydrogen bus features cutting-edge solutions. The hydrogen is stored in gaseous form in five tanks, mounted on the bus roof, boasting a total capacity of 1560 l.

Solaris fuel cell bus in Bolzano, Cologne and Wuppertal

At present, Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses can be seen, for example, on the streets of Bolzano in Italy, Cologne and Wuppertal in Germany as well as in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. Now these places will be joined by the over 800,000-strong city of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of one of the most famous tourist islands in Europe.

“Interest in hydrogen technology is steadily growing and the decision of the authorities of Palma de Mallorca to purchase Urbino 12 hydrogen buses is a perfect example of this. We are very proud that as a manufacturer and supplier of state-of-the-art vehicles we can support yet another city in the transition to zero-emission public transport. We strongly believe that our hydrogen buses will excellently serve the residents of this beautiful island”, said Petros Spinaris, member of the Management Board for Sales and After Sales.