The city of Budapest in Hungary recently launched the country’s first-ever hydrogen bus line. The line will travel between the city and a nearby suburb and will run for about three weeks. The trial period will be used to gather information on the everyday usage of the hydrogen bus. Residents will be able to use the line for free during the trial period.
The project was created by HUMDA – the Hungarian Motorsport and Green Mobility Development Agency -and it will use a Solaris Urbino 12 electric bus with hydrogen fuel cells, operated by national bus carrier, Volanbusz. Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen is a emission-free bus with a drive range up to 350km. It features a low level of noise and lack of vibrations while moving.
The project is part of the Hungarian government’s National Hydrogen Strategy, which seeks a more widespread adoption of the technology. According to Attila Steiner, the State Secretary for Climate, Energy Policy and the Development of the Circular Economy, the transport sector accounts for a fifth of CO2 emissions in Hungary – leading the government to implement solutions to cut back on these emissions. The plan calls for a rapid expansion of production capacities – with 16,000 tons of carbon-free, 20,000 tons of low-carbon hydrogen, and 240 megawatts of electrolysis capacity by the year 2030. It also intends to create 40 filling points, as well as employ 4.8 thousand heavier hydrogen-powered buses and trucks. Hydrogen can have zero emissions if it is produced with renewable sources as hydrogen power cells create electricity by using electrolysis and the only exhaust product is water.