Press releases

2021/05/05

THE CAF GROUP’s SUBSIDIARY SOLARIS TO SUPPLY HYDROGEN BUSES FOR THE GERMAN CITY OF FRANKFURT

Featuring cutting-edge technology for zero emission transport, Solaris' hydrogen buses are winning the European market over. In this specific case, the German operator In-der-City-Bus, which manages Frankfurt's public transport system, has decided to purchase 13 Urbino 12 hydrogen buses, scheduled for delivery in 2022.

Cities are currently accountable for 60% of CO2 emissions which has resulted in the increasing importance of more environmentally friendly technologies in the urban environment. For this reason, hydrogen buses are becoming increasingly popular and are a perfect addition to the wide range of electric vehicles in the CAF Group's line-up.

The technology used on the Urbino hydrogen model embodies an environmentally friendly transport system by making use of the energy supplied by a fuel cell (70 kW), with the only by products from the chemical reaction in the fuel cell being heat and steam. The electrical energy output from the electrolysis process is transferred directly to the transmission system which consists of a shaft with electric motors. Each bus will also be fitted with an additional electrical energy storage system with a Solaris High Power battery.

When we talk about hydrogen buses, we are not talking about the future. The first Urbino hydrogen models are already operating in many cities in countries such as Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. Some reports are predicting that hydrogen-powered buses will constitute a substantial portion of the European continent's bus fleet by 2030.

SOLARIS has been short-listed for a framework contract to supply up to 550 interurban buses in Italy.

Solaris has also entered into a framework agreement with the public limited company Consip, owned by the Italian Department of Economy and Finance. Under the agreement, public transport companies (Trasporti Pubblici Locali) can order vehicles directly or issue a tender to the selected suppliers over the course of the next two years.

The agreement consists of the purchase of up to 550 interurban buses, split into two batches, for which the CAF Group subsidiary has submitted its Solaris InterUrbino 12 and Solaris Urbino 12 LE models respectively. Both are low-floor vehicles that offer outstanding interior comfort and ergonomics and have been specifically designed to provide passenger transport services outside city limits. It should also be pointed out that Solaris has supplied more than 600 of these Solaris InterUrbino model buses in Italy to date, establishing it as a particularly popular vehicle on the transalpine market.