4.2 Applications in the Mobility Sector

FC powertrains can also be used in busses to minimise emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Already since the beginning of the 2000s, various public transport operators in Germany began testing FC buses. After some of these pilot tests were stopped, partly due to a lack of availability of suitable vehicles, some public transport operators have integrated a larger number of FC buses into their operations in recent years. By the end of 2021, around 60 FC buses were in operation in Germany. In the light of orders already placed and projects currently being implemented by other operators, it can be assumed that this number will rise significantly in the coming years.

 

While vehicle availability was a decisive hurdle for the use of FC buses in regular operation a few years ago, there are now several manufacturers (e.g. Van Hool, Solaris) offering series-production vehicles. All FC buses available up to now rely on the 350 bar pressure tanks for storing the hydrogen. The consumption of FC buses ranges from 8.5 to 10.5 kg hydrogen per 100km, depending on the size of the bus and the specific driving profile.