At the beginning of September, the public transport operator Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) introduced the first articulated Solaris hydrogen buses into city traffic. The delivered buses are part of a fuel cell bus order placed in September last year (the third between the two companies!) for 18 of these vehicles.

Solaris articulated fuel cell buses for RVK

The eight Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen buses have joined the fleet of RVK which already includes 46 Solaris hydrogen buses operating. This time, they are 18-meter-long articulated buses. The hydrogen fleet of the German carrier RVK is already impressive, and there are still more deliveries to come. Solaris is currently fulfilling an order for 20 additional hydrogen buses, placed in March this year: nine 12-meter and eleven 18-meter buses. Upon completion of all deliveries, RVK will have a fleet of 84 hydrogen-powered Solaris buses, the largest in Europe.

The articulated hydrogen buses delivered to RVK in early September are equipped with a 100 kW fuel cell system. The Urbino 18 hydrogen can be refuelled with over 50 kilograms of gaseous hydrogen, stored in eight tanks located on the roof. The buses feature a modular drive system that eliminates the need for a traditional engine compartment, allowing for increased passenger capacity.

The buses feature a high-efficiency air conditioning system with heat pump functionality, an advanced monitoring and passenger information system, as well as numerous systems supporting the driver’s work.

Highlights

Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen has been elected Bus of the Year 2025

The international Bus of the Year jury has awarded the title of Bus of the Year 2025 to the Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen. This marks the second title for a Solaris vehicle and the first time in the competition’s history, which has been held since 1989, that a zero-emission hydrogen-powered vehicle has...

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