Berlin (energate) - Deutsche Bahn (DB) has ordered its first hydrogen buses for its DB Regio Bus division. The Portuguese manufacturer Caetanobus has received an order for 60 buses with fuel cell propulsion. DB plans to deploy the vehicles in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein from next year, the company announced. The aim is to take the last diesel bus out of service in 2038. In seven years' time, all newly purchased buses are to be emission-free. DB Regio Bus says it is the largest provider of bus transport in Germany, carrying around 470 million passengers a year.
Hydrogen buses can be refuelled more quickly than the batteries of a purely electric bus can be charged, said Evelyn Palla, member of the management board of DB AG Regional Transport, explaining the decision. In addition, these vehicles have a long range and could replace the current diesel vehicles, especially in rural areas, Palla added. According to DB, the buses can travel up to 350 kilometres in winter and up to 550 kilometres in summer on a single tank of fuel. The framework contract for 60 H2 buses runs until 2026 and is worth almost 40 million euros. The hydrogen (H2) required could partly come from the
hydrogen model project 'eFarm' of the project developer GP Joule. /dz
