Solaris is a bus and coach company who recently agreed to supply 20 Urbino 12 hydrogen-powered buses to Walbrzych, a city located in Poland.

The Urbino 12 buses, are 12 metres long and run off of a supply of hydrogen which is made possible through the use of a fuel cell which converts the hydrogen into electricity, consequently producing greener energy to power the bus. This model developed by Solaris uses a 100kW fuel cell, it uses over 50kg of hydrogen gas, which can be accessed from where it is stored in eight tanks on top of the vehicle. The bus has also proven it is able to travel up to 350km in various weather and multiple terrains.

The agreement for delivery to Poland that Solaris has created, states that 14 units will be delivered by September 2024, with the option to have another 25 vehicles delivered if requested. The order is expected to be completed by July 2025.

This delivery is one of many that Solaris has carried out, as the Polish manufacturer has deployed over 150 hydrogen-powered buses throughout Europe so far. The buses have recently gone to Poznan, Konin and Lublin, all places in Poland. Furthermore, the company has another 450 orders to complete, with its largest order for 130 vehicles coming in recently. This milestone order was placed by the Italian transport operator, TPER. Solaris has also been able to provide orders to Germany, where they sent 18 fuel cell vehicles to Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK), plus another 35 vehicles to Cologne. The innovative company made its first delivery of 2 units in 2023.

CTO at Solaris Bus & Coach, Dariusz Michalak, commented, “Solaris is committed to creating more sustainable and environmentally friendly towns and cities. Hydrogen buses improve the quality of air in the city and, at the same time, they offer long ranges and superior travel comfort.”