Together with the province of Carinthia, Verkehrsverbund Kärnten and partners from business and industry, as well as bus manufacturer Solaris, Postbus is testing a 12-meter-long hydrogen-powered bus in regular service in Villach from 18 May to 28 May.
Carinthia is increasingly using green hydrogen to decarbonise public transport and industry, as the element has definite advantages, especially in bus operation. In order to communicate these advantages to passengers and to test hydrogen in regular service, a modern hydrogen bus is in daily use in the Villach region until the end of May. From 18 to 28 May, anyone can test the propulsion technology in the twelve-meter long, hydrogen-powered "Solaris urbino 12 hydrogen". The hydrogen bus is in daily use in the Villach area on route 5175. The special treat: all passengers enjoy free travel on the hydrogen bus.
Practical test for alternative drives
Due to the chosen route, the technology will be tested in accelerated, interregional traffic as well as in urban traffic. In this way, the practical suitability of hydrogen propulsion in public transport will be demonstrated in real operation and experience gained for a future-oriented technology. Because one thing is certain: on the way to a climate-friendly and emission-free future, both a change in mobility behaviour and new drive technologies are needed. As Austria's largest bus company, it is therefore a central concern of Postbus to test alternative drive technologies such as hydrogen buses and e-buses. After all, mobility, and here above all individual transport, is the biggest cause of CO2 emissions.
Focus on refuelling and range
The vehicle is refuelled at a mobile hydrogen filling station set up especially for the test operation. During the test phase, the bus is filled with about 37 kilogrammes of hydrogen daily. The refuelling process only takes about ten minutes. With a full tank, the bus has a range of up to 350 kilometers. During the test phase, the bus covers around 240 kilometers a day. The fast refuelling and the range are clear advantages of this drive technology. Will we soon see more of these emission-free buses on Austria's roads? In any case, Postbus is ready for action.