Skoda Group returns to hydrogen mobility, shows fuel cell bus
The new hydrogen bus will have Temsa bodywork.
Skoda Group wants to offer hydrogen-powered buses to transport operators, especially in cities. At the InnoTrans in Berlin, the company unveiled the new hydrogen-powered bus H’CITY 12. Hydrogen is not new to Skoda. Back in 2009, the company presented the first model of the hydrogen-powered Skoda TriHyBus, which was in service for many years.
Hydrogen-powered buses have little vibration and are extremely quiet, which is also typical of conventional electric buses, according to the manufacturer. In contrast, refueling a hydrogen bus is disproportionately faster because the batteries are not recharged directly. Hydrogen is fed to the bus, and it then reacts with oxygen from the air to generate electricity directly in the bus. This means that the vehicles do not have to wait at charging stations, but are always ready for use. As a byproduct of the chemical reaction, steam is released into the air.
The Skoda H’CITY 12 bus uses PEM fuel cells, in which a reaction of hydrogen and oxygen takes place, and batteries, in which the generated energy is stored as its power source. With this type of propulsion, the bus can cover a distance of up to 350 km on a single refueling.
H’CITY 12 key features
Length: 12 020 mm
Width: 2 550 mm
Height: 3 430 mm
Number of seats: 26
Number of passengers: up to 85
Hydrogen storage capacity: 39 kg
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková