Frankfurt: E-bus fleet grows by ten Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen

Frankfurt's emission-free fleet continues to grow – In-der-City-Bus GmbH (ICB) has, following a Europe-wide tender won again by the Polish manufacturer Solaris, ordered ten more hydrogen buses of the type Urbino 12 hydrogen. The procurement costs amount to 6.5 million euros, with up to 2.88 million euros funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV).

Ade to Pollutants

The buses will be deployed starting in Spring 2024 on line 64, which runs through main traffic arteries and densely populated inner-city districts from Ginnheim via Dornbusch, Alte Oper, Central Station, and Messe to the Europaviertel of Frankfurt. According to ICB, about 4,800 passengers use this line on weekdays. By converting the line, it is expected that local emissions will be reduced by 640 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and around 8.4 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) annually, as stated in the accompanying press release.

The range of the Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen is specified to be at least 350 km. The heating system in the H2 vehicles is operated electrically and through a heat pump. A fossil auxiliary heater is no longer needed, making the hydrogen buses completely emission-free in operation.

“The city of Frankfurt am Main aims to be climate-neutral by the early 2030s ... We are pleased with the support for this project, which will soon allow another inner-city bus line to be operated emission-free," said Stefan Majer, Mobility Advisor of the city of Frankfurt am Main. ICB Managing Director Martin Hulecki adds: "The technology is convincing, alongside the advantage of high range in daily operation, through high operational stability. We have had very good experiences with our first hydrogen buses of the same type in the electrification of the Metrobus line M36."

The ten new Urbino 12 hydrogen buses are to be refueled at the company's own H2 filling station – a full refueling with 37.5 kg of gaseous hydrogen takes 15 minutes. According to the operator, the use of hydrogen buses is a necessary step for local bus transport in Frankfurt. Only with this type of drive can longer routes currently be operated emission-free.

“With the long-range hydrogen buses, the city can convert lines to emission-free operation where buses need to cover high mileage daily. From Spring 2024, the line 64 is to be electrified with the ten new ICB buses," said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tom Reinhold, Managing Director of the municipal public transport company traffiQ.

Safety

The Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen are equipped with modern driver assistance systems such as turning assistants on the right and left and the MirrorEye system.

ICB Fleet

The ICB fleet currently consists of 228 low-floor solo and articulated buses – including 29 electric buses, of which 16 are battery electric and 13 are hydrogen buses. 145 diesel buses meet the Euro VI emission standard – currently the strictest European emission standard for buses. 54 buses comply with the EEV standard (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle). ICB fundamentally relies on vehicles with alternative drives for future new acquisitions. The complete conversion of the ICB fleet to electromobility is to be completed by the early 2030s.