A two-week trial of a hydrogen-powered bus has begun today in Wels, Upper Austria.
Austrian solar technology outfit Fronius supplied the Solhub electrolyser-based system that will refuel the bus using green hydrogen.
The Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen trial was launched in the presence of numerous political and business representatives.
The bus will be used as public transport for two weeks in the city of Wels.
At the Fronius site for research and development in Thalheim at Wels, it will be fuelled daily with approximately 13kg of hydrogen produced from solar electricity.
Fuelling takes around 15 minutes, with the bus travelling at least 160 km irrespective of the usage conditions.
“The best part is that heat and water vapour are the only products of the chemical reaction in the fuel cell, which acts as a miniature power plant.
“Fuelling with hydrogen is quick, convenient and barely any different to fuelling a diesel vehicle,” said Anna Mejer, general manager at Solaris Bus.
“We are excited to be part of this unique project. With the Solhub we are offering a complete turnkey solution that enables local, green hydrogen to be generated and used for the fuelling of fuel cell vehicles.
“This also means we have taken another step towards our vision of 24 hours of sun. The Solhub offers enormous potential for companies and municipalities, both of which play a key role in shaping and implementing the energy supply of tomorrow,” added Martin Hackl, global director of the business unit for solar energy at Fronius.