The first three of these emission-free Solaris buses will be delivered to the city of Krefeld in western Germany (25 km north-west of Dusseldorf) by the end of 2024, with the remaining seven scheduled for delivery by May 2025, according to plans.
Fuel cell buses for Krefeld
Solaris says it has a portfolio of 450 ordered hydrogen buses for next years and 140 already delivered and operating in public transport in several European cities. The German market is one of the most active when it comes to equipping its fleets with hydrogen buses. Urbino hydrogen buses are already in operation in cities such as Cologne, Wuppertal, Hofolding, Weimar, Frankfurt, Gross-Zimmern, and the Munich metropolitan area. Additional contracts are in progress, including those for Aschaffenburg, Güstrow, Gross-Gerau, Hamburg, and Duisburg.
The Urbino 12 hydrogen vehicles ordered by Krefeld will be equipped with a central electric motor with a power output of 160 kW. These buses will be powered by energy from a hydrogen fuel cell and will also feature Solaris High Power batteries, serving as an additional electric energy storage. Thermal comfort will be ensured by a CO2 heat pump.
SWK Mobil Krefeld has opted for fleet management support through eSConnect, Solaris’ proprietary tool that provides complete access to the data necessary for assessing bus performance and planning their continued operation.
“The development of hydrogen-powered buses is gaining momentum, and Solaris proudly stands as a leader in driving this change. I congratulate SWK Mobil Krefeld on their strategic decision to invest in a cleaner and better future for the region’s residents,” stated Olivier Michard, Member of the Solaris Board responsible for Sales and Marketing.
