The city of Poznań’s public transport operator MPK Poznań has purchased 25 hydrogen-fueled buses from Solaris Bus & Coach. The tender was for 15 vehicles, but the carrier exercised its option of extending the order by another 10 buses. The hydrogen units will join the fleet of MPK in the second half of 2023. This is the largest order so far for Solaris hydrogen Urbino hydrogen buses.

The investment has been subsidized as part of the “Green Public Transport” program, launched by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

MPK Poznań already owns 58 electric Solaris buses, which account for nearly 20% of its fleet.

In practice, the Urbino 12 hydrogen bus can cover at least 350 km with full tanks; refueling takes about 10 minutes, depending on the infrastructure.

The 12-meter buses feature 70 kW fuel cells that draw hydrogen from five tanks with a total capacity of 1560 liters. The hydrogen system components will have the highest safety systems available on the market. The hydrogen-powered Solaris buses will also feature a relatively small Solaris High Power traction battery, to support the fuel cell when the demand for electricity increases. The drive unit will be a central electric motor.

The vehicles will offer 31 seats, including 10 with increased accessibility, i. e. without any additional steps. They will also have a bay for wheelchair-bound passengers and those with pushchairs or strollers.

The buses will refill with hydrogen at a hydrogen refueling station located at a gas station on Warszawska Street in Poznań.

In September 2022, Solaris unveiled the articulated version of the hydrogen bus, the Urbino 18 hydrogen vehicle, which expanded the company’s hydrogen offering. The interest in this technology among European carriers has been rising from month to month just like the order book for environmentally friendly vehicles. So far, Solaris has delivered 62 hydrogen vehicles to transport operators from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Poland.