Bus maker eyes commercial production of hydrogen model with 1,000km range

Spanish bus manufacturer Irizar aims to begin commercial production of its second hydrogen-powered bus model in 2027, following pilot operations in Madrid this summer.

Having deployed its first hydrogen i6S bus equipped with a 190kW Bosch fuel cell system in the Spanish capital in June and July, the company said the model had “substantial improvements” over its previous version released in 2023.

The company said the vehicle has a range of more than 1,000km, can refuel in less than 15 minutes, and maintains performance equivalent to a diesel vehicle.

H2 View understands it represents one of the first deployments of Bosch’s new fuel cell power module since the German technology company revealed the system in March.

Irizar has been contacted for confirmation.

This comes as transit operators across Europe look to align with EU green hydrogen usage mandates in the mobility sector, requiring the energy carrier to meet 1.2% of transport energy by 2030 under the Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III).

Spain adopted the RED III targets into law earlier this month.

Fuel cell buses, praised for increased range and short refuelling times, are a popular pathway for pursuing these targets.

However, they are often criticised for the low energy efficiency compared to battery electric vehicles, which comes with converting electricity to hydrogen and back again.

In an H2 View webinar earlier this year, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cambridge University, David Cebon, said this delivers just a third of the useful motion that could be achieved by direct electricification.

In May, Italian transport operator TPER put the first of 127 fuel cell buses from Polish manufacturer Solaris Bus into service in Bologna. 19 Solaris buses are also planned for deployment in Krefeld, Germany, next year.