Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has awarded CaetanoBus a contract to supply eight 12m hydrogen buses by the end of 2021. The main public transport operator in Barcelona’s metropolitan area with a fleet of more than 1100 buses on 102 routes, TMB is currently working towards the modernisation of its bus fleet through the procurement of zero emission vehicles. The acquisition of these hydrogen vehicles is supported by the European JIVE 2 programme for the promotion of fuel cell vehicles, and co-financed by the European Union.
TMB in cooperation with Zona Franca Consortium (CZFB) is to build a plant for the production, storage and refuelling of hydrogen that is also designed for use by other commercial vehicles. The first hydrogen filling station of this kind in Spain, the plant could be opened to other fleets and private fuel cell electric vehicles.
“We are extremely honoured that our H2.City Gold units were selected by TMB. We are very glad to support the project of TMB and Zona Franca Consortium towards a more environmentally friendly fleet and we look forward to delivering these hydrogen buses to Barcelona,” said Kohei Umeno, Chief Commercial Officer at CaetanoBus.
The three-door buses will be equipped with Toyota fuel cells and will offer a range over 400km and a capacity of 94 passengers. In addition, the new buses will include several safety features including CCTV system, a Camera Monitoring System to replace traditional wing mirrors and Mobileye’s Shield Plus to avoid dangerous situations for pedestrians and cyclists.
TMB President Rosa Alarcón highlighted: “As a company with a vocation for leadership, we are committed to innovation and the fight against pollution in cities. To be at the forefront in terms of sustainable and efficient mobility, we take the step of buying the first hydrogen fuel cell propulsion buses in Spain as well as promoting the green transport of the future with the construction of a hydrogeneration plant that will prioritise its production from renewable sources.”
CaetanoBus has also been selected as the supplier to deliver four hydrogen buses to operator moBiel in Bielefeld, Germany.
“Being the first supplier of hydrogen buses for moBiel GmbH is an enormous recognition of our accomplishments in the zero-emission mobility field. We are very honoured to be able to work with moBiel in this change for green mobility,” added CaetanoBus’ Kohei Umeno.
