Busreisen Ettenhuber GmbH and Martin Geldhauser GmbH & Co KG., two private, family-run bus carriers from Bavaria, ordered a total of 10 Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses in April last year.
All vehicles have been delivered and are scheduled to enter regular service this during the Autumn, coinciding with the completion of hydrogen filling stations currently under construction at the Geldhauser and Ettenhuber depots. These stations will be supplied with green hydrogen produced exclusively from renewable energy in Pfeffenhausen near Landshut.
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| Left to right: Jürgen John (Representative at Geldhauser), Stefan Münch (Customer Service of Solaris Deutschland), Bernd Trilling (Workshop Manager at Geldhauser), Martin Geldhauser (Managing Director of Geldhauser), Rolf Oneis (Representative of Solaris Deutschland). |
In coordination with the districts of Munich and Ebersberg and the Munich Transport Authority (MVV), it was agreed that the vehicles would be deployed on different routes to gain extensive experience regarding route lengths, weather conditions, capacity utilization and many other variables in this pilot project. This approach aims to continuously optimize transport operations.
Both the Geldhauser and Ettenhuber buses have similar specifications. They are equipped with an axle with integrated electric motors. Each bus have ultra-modern fuel cell kits with a capacity of 70 kW. Hydrogen is stored in five tanks with a total capacity of 1,560 litres. Thanks to this technology, the buses can cover a minimum of 350 km on a single refueling. The hydrogen Solaris vehicles are equipped with a relatively small Solaris High Power traction battery, which supports the fuel cell during periods of peak electricity demand.
In addition to safe driving features, the hydrogen buses for Upper Bavarian carriers are equipped with MobilEye Shield+. This system monitors blind spots and warns the driver with acoustic and light signals if a pedestrian or cyclist enters the area.
In addition, the operators have ordered the modern eSConnect system for remote fault diagnostics. The program helps optimize fleet operation by increasing vehicle availability, reducing bus downtime and avoiding unnecessary vehicle returns to the depot.
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| Left to right: Josef Ettenhuber (Managing Director of Ettenhuber), Rolf Oneis (Representative of Solaris Deutschland), Tomasz Biskup (Workshop Manager at Ettenhuber) |
Cooperation between Solaris and each carrier dates back to 2004. During this time, the manufacturer delivered more than 130 buses to Busreisen Ettenhuber and 60 to Martin Geldhauser.
Now the family-run companies are embarking on a new stage of implementing hydrogen technology. Interest in this emission-free solution is constantly growing in Europe, with Solaris being the European leader in the segment of hydrogen powered buses. Deliveries and concluded contracts have covered a total of 350 hydrogen vehicles.
