Italy to Deploy 130 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses

Municipal public transport operator TPER, based in Bologna, Italy, has placed an order for 130 hydrogen-powered buses with Solaris, a Polish bus maker.

A record order for the company, Solaris also said that the bus operator has the option to extend the order by an additional 140 vehicles.

Bologna, along with Ferrara, have an aim to make urban public transportation zero-carbon by 2030. This order, which forms part of the largest projects of hydrogen public mobility in Europe, will see 127 buses delivered to TPER Bologna, and the three remaining to TPER Ferrara.

According to Solaris, who have already delivered over 120 hydrogen buses to operators across eight European countries, 37 of these buses will be in operation by 2024, with the rest to follow in 2025-26.

The Urbino 12 Hydrogen, the model of bus in question, is powered by a 70 kW fuel cell system that sources hydrogen from five Type-IV composite tanks placed on the bus roof. The bus is capable of covering approximately 350 km, due to the tanks ability to hold 37.5 kg of hydrogen.

In addition to fulfilling their bus orders, Solaris will also support a fleet of 47 Urbino 12 and five articulated models with a larger 100 kW fuel cell system in Germany, by helping to build two hydrogen refuelling stations in the towns of Güstrow and Bad Doberan.