Orders for a total of 25 new buses have been placed for Solaris’ hydrogen-powered Urbino 12. Ten of the 25 buses ordered are for Wuppertal, and the a 15 will be operated on routes served by RVK Köln in nearby Cologne. The first buses are scheduled for delivery this year, and the remaining vehicles will be handed over to the two operators by the end of 2021.
The buses use a set of fuel cells with a power of 70kW, which Solaris says makes them capable of covering up to 350km on a single refill, and will be also fitted with a Solaris High Power traction battery with a capacity of circa 30 kWh which is used to support the fuel cell whenever the demand for electric power peaks. The battery will be recharged using energy derived from hydrogen and energy recuperated during the braking process.
Hydrogen is stored in a set of type 4 composite tanks, placed longitudinally above the front axle, which have a total volume of 1,560 litres and hydrogen storage capacity of 37.5kg.
