First Solaris hydrogen buses delivered in Bologna: 137 vehicles set to operate in 2026

Bologna’s carrier TPER has presented presented today the first fuel cell buses in its history, purchased with funds from the Next Generation EU: these are the Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen buses, which will enter service starting this spring.

In total, by 2026, there will be 127 FCEVs in Bologna and 10 in Ferrara, following the tender awarded in 2023. Moreover, by the end of this decade, according to the road map drawn up by the operator, 12% of the fleet will be hydrogen-powered.

The hydrogen-powered Solaris Urbino 12 for TPER

The Solaris Urbino 12 Hydrogen is in service in 35 cities in ten European countries. The Polish manufacturer’s model is equipped with a 70 kW fuel cell and five roof-mounted tanks that can hold 37.5 kg of hydrogen, allowing a range of more than 350 km on a single tank.

Solaris is supplying in Bologna the Urbino 12 hydrogen in two different configurations, the three-door and the two-door, suitable for use on urban and suburban lines respectively. More precisely, 60 three-door, used on urban routes requiring 12-metre buses, and 67 Urbino two-door for suburban lines operating between the capital and the metropolitan belt.

The investment for the supply of the 127 buses in Bologna amounts to 74.9 million euros: 69.9 million of
Next Generation EU funds, of which the Municipality of Bologna was the beneficiary, and the remaining 5 million self-financed by TPER with its own resources. The 10 vehicles that will be in service in Ferrara basin, on the other hand, involved a total investment of 5.9 million euros: 5.5 million in Next Generation EU funds provided by the Municipality of Ferrara and 400,000 euros self-financed by Tper.

As part of the ‘hydrogen project’, TPER has awarded TPH2 – a company in which TPER itself and HGeneration srl of the Wolftank Group have a stake – the task of building three hydrogen refuelling stations, two in Bologna and one in Ferrara. When fully operational, there will be four plants, three in Bologna and one in Ferrara, for the refuelling and, in part, the production of hydrogen managed directly by TPER.

The hydrogen used will be green, or in any case with a low carbon footprint. The project envisages a total investment for buses and plants of more than 100 million Euro.