Everfuel, Wrightbus, Ballard Power Systems, Hexagon Composites, Nel Hydrogen, and Ryse Hydrogen, all leading players in the hydrogen fuel cell electric value chain, have announced that they are joining forces to form the H2Bus Consortium. The members are committed to deploying 1 000 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, along with supporting infrastructure, in European cities at commercially competitive rates.
The purpose of H2Bus is to provide the most affordable truly zero-emission solution to the European public transport sector.
We are setting up a dedicated hydrogen value chain to cut costs and, in doing so, to approach operational parity with buses that use traditional fuels. The H2Bus Consortium provides the complete package including fuel cell buses and hydrogen fuel. We will offer the most affordable zero-emission bus to meet the increasing demand in the largest cities of Europe, said Jacob Krogsgaard, CEO of Everfuel.
This groundbreaking hydrogen fuel cell electric bus solution will be the most cost-effective truly zero-emission option available, with a single-decker bus price below EUR 375 000 after funding, a hydrogen price between EUR 5 and EUR 7 per kilogram and a service cost of EUR 0.30 per kilometre.
The zero-tailpipe emission feature of the fuel cell bus’ operation will be complemented by zero-emission hydrogen production from renewable energy sources, yielding a “well-to-wheel” emission-free transportation solution.
It is essential that commercial players join forces to realize the true zero-emission mobility society. The hydrogen fuel cell electric bus is the ideal substitute for fossil solutions, without compromising range, operational ability or cost. Wrightbus is also expanding its product offering to include a fuel cell electric double-decker bus, 12-meter single-decker bus, and articulated bus in order to serve a wider customer base. We are currently witnessing the transformation of public transport for the benefit of both current and coming generations and we feel privileged to be part of this transition together with the other consortium members, said David Barnett, Business Development Director at Wrightbus.
CEP support for the first phase
The first phase of the project, totaling 600 buses, is being supported by EUR 40 million from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). CEF supports the development of high performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and digital services.
The funding will enable the deployment of 200 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and supporting infrastructure in each of Denmark, Latvia, and the UK by 2023.
Hydrogen is the zero-emission solution for heavy-duty applications. Hydrogen can efficiently be produced from renewable electricity and distributed in high capacity hydrogen trailers to bus depots. Here, a hydrogen bus can be fueled in five minutes. This is comparable to diesel, said Jacob Krogsgaard, CEO of Everfuel.
