Solaris to supply hydrogen buses to Venice

Solaris Bus & Coach, one of the leading European bus and trolleybus manufacturers, has won another order for the delivery of zero-emission vehicles to Italy.

The company’s Urbino 12 hydrogen buses will cater to the residents of Venice and its surroundings, following contracts signed with carriers AVM Venezia and ACTV SPA Venezia, which provide public transport services in Venice as well as within the communes of Venice and Chioggia. The delivery of four 12-metre hydrogen-fuelled buses is slated for the end of the second quarter of 2023, and the value of the contracts exceeds 2.5 million euros (Rs 20 crore).

The Urbino 12 hydrogen bus is a low-floor vehicle, generating no local emissions. At the heart of the bus lies a 70 kW hydrogen fuel cell that acts as a miniature hydrogen power plant aboard the vehicle. The sole by-products of the chemical reaction that takes place in the hydrogen fuel cell are heat and steam. The fuel is stored in gaseous form, in state-of-the-art composite roof-mounted tanks. The tanks are rigorously tested, and have been designed to ensure maximum safety for the driver, passengers and pedestrians. According to Solaris, this hydrogen-powered bus stands out due to its short refuelling time and long range of about 350 km, even in unfavourable weather conditions.

The 12-metre hydrogen buses have with a 2-2-2 door arrangement. Highlights include air- conditioning with a heat pump as well as USB ports for passengers located on the vehicle’s walls. The driver will also be supported by MobilEye Shield+. This is a modern system which alerts the driver every time an unexpected object is detected in the vicinity of the bus. The vehicles will also feature a passenger counting system. Continuous servicing of the vehicles will be provided by eSConnect, a bus fleet monitoring and management system designed by Solaris.

The Urbino 12 hydrogen units destined for Venice are yet another batch of vehicles producing zero emissions. In 2020, under a contract concluded with ACTV SPA Venezia, Solaris delivered 30 Urbino 12 electric vehicles to the city along with charging infrastructure. They have been deployed to exclusively provide public transport in two city districts located on the islands in the Venetian Lagoon: Lido and Pellestrina.

Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses currently ply on the streets of Bolzano in Italy, Cologne and Wuppertal in Germany, as well as in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands and in the city of Konin in Poland. Now, 12-metre hydrogen-powered Solaris buses are slated to be introduced to Upper Bavaria, Palma de Mallorca, Vienna, Bratislava, Lublin and Poznan.