The German operator, Rebus Regionalbus Rostock, based in Güstrow and responsible for the management of the public transport service in the region of Rostock in northern Germany, has concluded an agreement with Solaris Bus & Coach, part of CAF Group, for the supply of 52 Solaris Urbino hydrogen buses, five of which are 18-meter articulated vehicles. This is the largest contract obtained by Solaris to date for hydrogen-powered vehicles, making this contract award a particularly significant event.
The delivery is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, thereby reaffirming the regional government’s mobility policy, one of the objectives of which is to achieve a hydrogen-based public transport system for the county of Rostock over the next few years.
Together with the supply of these new buses, the contract contemplates the construction of two hydrogen service stations at the depots in the towns of Güstrow and Bad Doberan. Both of the bus models ordered will be equipped with state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cells. 70kW for the 12-meter bus model and 100 kW for the articulated one. Likewise, they will also be fitted with a Solaris High Power traction battery for the purpose of supporting the fuel cell at times when the vehicle has a maximum energy demand.
To date Solaris has delivered more than 100 Urbino hydrogen buses to operators in Italy, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Poland, a figure that will soon be increased with the delivery of more than 100 vehicles based on this technology and which are currently at various stages of manufacture.
“Solaris has the widest range of zero-emission vehicles of any manufacturer in Europe. This, combined with our years of experience, provides great support for our customers in the process of transitioning to zero-emission public transportation. We believe that the future of this transformation lies in the synergy of different technologies. In this particular case, it was hydrogen that proved to be the best possible solution. I’m glad that Solaris hydrogen buses will soon become a symbol of sustainable mobility in the Rostock region,” said Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach.
Source: CAF/Solaris
