Hydrogen buses are becoming more widespread in Polish cities
photo: presentation of the Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen bus in Walbrzych. Source: Roads, Transport and Maintenance Department of the City of Walbrzych
The city of Walbrzych, located in southwestern Poland, has signed an agreement with Solaris for the supply of 20 hydrogen buses. The document also provides for the possibility of purchasing an additional 25 units in the future.
The deal is worth PLN 80 million, of which PLN 58 million is a subsidy from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. One hydrogen bus will cost PLN 4 million or almost EUR 920 thousand.
Walbrzych will become the fourth city in Poland to use zero-emission hydrogen buses on public transport routes. The first 14 Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen buses will be delivered to the 100,000-strong city of Walbrzych by September 2024. According to the agreement, Solaris will supply the city with 12-metre three-door buses with a passenger capacity of up to 85 people, of which 29 can travel in seats.
"Hydrogen buses should become an alternative to battery buses that may not be able to cope with mountainous terrain. Their advantage is their range and zero emissions. One of the vehicle's distinctive features is the ability to travel 350-400 km on a single refuelling," said Dariusz Michalak, Vice President of Solaris, in a commentary to Radio Wrocław.
Despite the differences with battery buses, the Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen has similar features: "zero" air emissions, low noise levels while driving and an electric motor. Whereas battery buses use batteries to generate electricity, hydrogen buses generate electricity through a rapid chemical reaction of hydrogen with oxygen.
NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE
The advantage of a hydrogen bus compared to a battery bus is the speed of refuelling. Hydrogen is refuelled under high pressure in 15 minutes. However, the city must have a special hydrogen fuel station for this purpose, as the hydrogen installation is located on the roof of the bus. To resolve this issue, the authorities of Walbrzych are negotiating with the fuel company PKN Orlen, which already has its own network of hydrogen stations in Poland.
"Orlen assured us that if they don't make it in time, we will be supplied with hydrogen by tanker trucks. Design work is underway. Orlen has selected a company based on the design and build formula, which is currently in the planning stage. After the project is completed, construction will begin," said Krzysztof Szewczyk, Director of the Roads, Transport and City Maintenance Department.
HYDROGEN BUSES IN OTHER CITIES OF POLAND
Hydrogen buses are now regularly used by municipal carriers in two Polish cities - Lublin and Poznan. At the beginning of September this year, the first hydrogen bus started running on the streets of Lublin. Over the next year, 19 more Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen buses are to appear in the city, and a hydrogen fuelling station will be built. At the end of September, the first hydrogen bus of the same model appeared on the streets of Poznan. In total, the city has purchased 25 vehicles using hydrogen as a fuel from Solaris.
In addition to Lublin and Poznan, hydrogen buses also run on the streets of Krakow. However, their operation is carried out by the municipal carrier MPK Kraków as part of a trial that began in June 2022. The city is currently testing three hydrogen buses from different Polish manufacturers: Solaris, Autosan and Arthur Bus. To operate these vehicles, PKN Orlen built the first mobile hydrogen station in Poland in Krakow. The city plans to purchase up to 150 hydrogen buses.
It should be noted that other Polish cities have also conducted short-term tests of hydrogen buses: Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdynia, Szczecin, etc. So far, they have not procured vehicles of this type.
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Sources:
https://wroclaw.tvp.pl/74279301/wodorowe-autobusy-w-walbrzychu
https://dziennik.walbrzych.pl/walbrzych-jest-umowa-na-nowe-wodorowe-autobusy-beda-drozsze-bilety/
https://www.radiowroclaw.pl/articles/view/135771/Walbrzych-stawia-na-wodorowe-autobusy