European premiere: Wiener Linien welcomes a Hyundai fuel cell bus on test (with 700-bar H2 tanks)

Wiener Linien is introducing a new demo fuel cell bus from Hyundai, marking the first time a bus by the South Korean manufacturer rolls on European roads. The vehicle, as the operator explains in a press note, was developed by Hyundai in collaboration with Slovenian manufacturer TAM.

What is noteworthy, the model features 700-bar hydrogen storage technology, the first of its kind in Europe. It will be tested exclusively by Wiener Linien for a period of three years (it’s the second bus that Hyundai Austria has provided to Wiener Linien as part of a co-operation).

At the beginning of March, Wiener Linien has also tested an H2 bus from Arthur Bus with passengers for several weeks.

Wiener Linien testing Hyundai Elec City FC 12 for three years

The fuel cell generates 90 kW of energy, powering a 180 kW electric motor, with the vehicle producing no greenhouse gas emissions.

The hydrogen bus initiative is supported by EU funding through the EBIN programme of the Austrian Ministry of Climate Protection.

Hyundai hydrogen bus will be refuelled at Wiener Linien’s hydrogen filling station in Leopoldau, which supports both 350- and 700-bar refuelling. This station, developed by Wiener Netze and supplied with hydrogen from Wien Energie, is part of the city’s broader hydrogen mobility initiative.

Wiener Linien’s transition to hydrogen buses will continue in summer 2025 with the deployment of ten hydrogen buses from CaetanoBus (following a tender awarded in early 2024) on route 39A in Döbling, refuelled at Leopoldau and another ten hydrogen minibuses from Italian Rampini on routes 2A and 3A in central Vienna, combining hydrogen and electric drive technologies.

These new vehicles will replace older electric buses and will be charged and refuelled at the Wiener Netze campus in Simmering.

Wiener Linien’s hydrogen bus programme is part of a broader effort by Wiener Stadtwerke, Wiener Netze, and Wien Energie to develop sustainable urban transport solutions. Data from the test bus and new hydrogen-powered vehicles will inform future decisions on drive technologies, ensuring that public transport in Vienna continues to operate efficiently while reducing environmental impact.

Hydrogen is produced in Vienna, for Vienna

Monika Unterholzner, Deputy CEO of Wiener Stadtwerke, stated: “We produce regional hydrogen, from Vienna for Vienna. As Wiener Stadtwerke, we cover the entire value chain: Wien Energie produces the hydrogen from renewable energies, Wiener Netze uses it to refuel Wiener Linien buses, which take their passengers to their destinations safely and emission-free”.

Gudrun Senk, Technical Managing Director of Wiener Linien, adds: “Our buses have to meet high standards, regardless of the drive technology: this also includes range and usability. After all, we have long operating times, tight intervals, many passengers and often short distances between stops on our routes.Added to this is the night-time operation, where the buses are on the road almost around the clock.We therefore test all test buses intensively under real conditions in regular service. This new bus will provide us with further valuable information for future technology decisions”.

Roland Punzengruber, Managing Director of Hyundai Import GmbH: “With the development of the Hyundai Elec City FC 12, unique work has been done in the field of hydrogen electromobility:H2 technology from Hyundai combined with a body developed to the highest European standards and built by a globally recognised bus manufacturer. The result is a sustainable bus solution that will make a significant contribution to the further development of climate-neutral public transport”.