Solaris secures up to 378 orders for hydrogen buses in Italy

Polish zero-emission bus manufacturer Solaris has secured the most significant order for hydrogen buses in Europe, with 130 units for Bologna’s public transport company TPER and an option for 140 more FCEV buses. A day later, Venice’s Azienda Veneziana della Mobilita ordered 90 more hydrogen buses, expandable up to 108 units in total.

It’s a big week for the sales team of Solaris. This Monday, the Polish company announced a mega-order for 130 Urbino 12 hydrogen buses for TPER, the Italian city of Bologna’s public transport operator. The city wants to have its public transport emission-free by 2030 and relies on Solaris to help carry the load.

The most significant European order for hydrogen buses so far

The contract also allows for extending the order by another 140 vehicles, for a total of 270 hydrogen buses. That’s over double the amount Solaris has delivered thus far, with “over 120 hydrogen-powered units” on the road in 8 countries. The first batch will be delivered by 2024; the rest will arrive in 2025-2026.

Venice joins the queue

But the good news doesn’t end there, as Solaris has secured a big order for another Italian city. Venice’s Azienda Veneziana della Mobilita has ordered a total of 90 hydrogen buses, with 75 Urbino 12 units and 15 articulated Urbino 18 models.

An option has also been negotiated to expand the order, although only 18 more units can be added to the order (13 Urbino 12s and 5 Urbino 18s). These buses will arrive later, starting in November 2025 and finishing by early 2026. Venice already has 30 battery-electric Solaris Urbino 12 and 4 hydrogen Urbino 12 buses running.

In terms of range, both the fixed-body Urbino 12 and the articulated Urbino 18 have a “minimum 350 km” range thanks to 35 and 50 kg of hydrogen tank capacity, respectively. Last week, the German city of Cologne also ordered 18 articulated Solaris hydrogen buses for public transport.