Hydrogen Solaris already in Italian city of Bolzano

New Urbino models running on hydrogen are about to join the fleet of electric buses of Solaris which have been serving as transport means for Bolzano residents for years. Solaris Bus & Coach has begun the delivery of vehicles under a deal signed in May 2019.

Public transport operator SASA Bolzano is the first of Solaris’ clients to opt for the hydrogen Urbino model. In line with the contract a total of 12 buses based on this state-of-the-art technology will be deployed on the streets of the Italian city. The official handover of the vehicles was carried out during a press conference that marked the finalisation of a deal signed two years before.

“The Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen is extremely passenger-friendly, driver-friendly and traffic participant-friendly. The zero-emission vehicles represent the technology of the future - which ensures higher life quality in the city and improved comfort of public transport. While other European cities are only beginning to debate the prospective purchases of hydrogen buses, SASA Bolzano is already marching into the future, by adding hydrogen vehicles to its electric bus fleet. Owing to that step, passengers can now benefit from the latest solutions in public transport and the automotive industry,” declared Alberto Fiore, Managing Director of Solaris Italia, during the conference.

The hydrogen buses of Solaris are yet another option in the manufacturer’s zero-emission portfolio, next to trolleybuses and battery-powered buses; what distinguishes them from standard electric buses is that electric power is generated directly on board of the vehicle. The Urbino 12 hydrogen possesses therefore all advantages of an electric bus, while guaranteeing an extremely long driving range on a single refill, and with steam being the sole by-product of the energy generation process in the hydrogen bus.

Orders for hydrogen technology-based Solaris buses are gathering pace – the group of clients commissioning the hydrogen model has been recently joined by carriers from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Photo: SASA Bolzano. From the left: Mayor of Bolzano Renzo Caramaschi, CEO of SASA Francesco Morandi, President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano Arno Kompatscher, SASA Managing Director Petra Piffer, Solaris Italia General Director Alberto Fiore, Transport Department officers Daniel Alfreider and Dieter Theiner.