Another twelve hydrogen buses ordered in Aschaffenburg
03/01/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
The municipal utility Aschaffenburg relies on hydrogen. The utility has ordered twelve Solaris buses in Poland. Other projects are also in the works.
Since May 2022, in addition to 13 hybrid buses, three pure E-buses also drive through Aschaffenburg. "Now our fleet conversion to sustainable and environmentally friendly mobility goes into the next round," explained Stadtwerke CEO Stefan Maunz on his order of twelve hydrogen buses. The first are to go on route as early as 2024, so that - earlier than expected - further diesel buses can be phased out as early as next year. "With the new hydrogen-powered buses, a quarter of the entire city bus fleet will then be running emission-free by the end of 2025," Maunz said.
The vehicles on order will run on hydrogen, which will be stored in gaseous form in tanks placed on the roof. The twelve-meter long solo bus "Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen" has fuel cell modules with an output of 70 kW, while the two 18-meter long articulated buses are equipped with 100 kW. In case of high power demand, the fuel cell is additionally supported by one or two high-power batteries, depending on the vehicle length, each with a capacity of 30 kWh.
Air-conditioning, cameras for monitoring the passenger compartment as well as the bus environment and a passenger communication system are standard features of the new buses. Mobile devices can be charged via USB ports. According to Stadtwerke boss Maunz, the decision in favor of Solaris was made because the buses convinced in practical tests. In addition, he said, 100 Urbino 12s are already on the road in other cities, including Bolzano, Cologne and Wuppertal.
Hydrogen refuse collection vehicles and a filling station
The Stadtwerke Aschaffenburg put the cost of a solo bus at around 650,000 euros. For the total costs they received a promotion promise of 3.65 million euro from the Federal Ministry of Transport. As part of their hydrogen strategy, the municipal utilities are also focusing on hydrogen-powered refuse collection vehicles in addition to the conversion of the city bus fleet. Another project is the construction of a hydrogen filling station on the premises of the municipal transport company, which is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2023. There is also money from the state for these projects.
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