Poland – During the company’s third online #SolarisTalks conference on 14 September, Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. of Bolechowo, Poland unveiled an 18-metre articulated bus powered by a fuel-cell electric powertrain, extending the manufacturer’s hydrogen range to two products. 

The ‘Urbino 18 hydrogen’ joins the Urbino 12 hydrogen, launched in 2019 and Solaris’s first vehicle to be powered primarily by fuel cells. The Polish manufacturer judged that the advantages of fuel-cell electric buses – for instance, lighter weight and shorter refuelling times compared to a battery-electric equivalent – merited an expansion of the range. With eight storage tanks on the roof holding a total of 51.2kg of hydrogen, the Urbino 18 hydrogen can achieve a greater range and carry more passengers than the Urbino 18 electric. While the average range of the Urbino electric is 200 km, the Urbino 18 hydrogen can travel 350 km carrying up to 138 passengers (53 seats; compared to 49 seats in the Urbino 18 electric). Moreover, refilling the tanks takes about 20 minutes.