Wrightbus gains a foothold in Germany with hydrogen

The Northern Irish company Wrightbus has received an order from german Saarbahn GmbH to supply 28 Kite Hydroliner hydrogen buses. The first five vehicles are due to go into operation before the end of the year. The manufacturer, which also offers a battery-electric single and double-decker with the Electroliner, is thus increasingly gaining a foothold in Germany. West Verkehr from North Rhine-Westphalia has ordered a dozen Hydroliners and Regionalverkehr Köln has signed a contract for up to 60 vehicles. In addition, two new interested parties are said to have signed contracts for a further 51 Kite Hydroliners this year.

Wrightbus offers the Hydroliner with two different power fuel cells (70 kW and 100 kW). Depending on the number of tanks, the bus can hold between 32 and 50 kilograms of hydrogen. The manufacturer specifies a refuelling time of around eight minutes at 350 bar and a maximum range of over 1000 kilometers. Three length versions up to 12.50 meters are available. (aum)