Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) is continuing to invest in zero-emission public transport, with Solaris delivering 36 Urbino 12-meter hydrogen buses and two 18-meter articulated hydrogen bus units to the Spanish city, with deliveries scheduled for later this year.
Barcelona has opted for these 38 zero-emission buses to be powered by electricity produced via hydrogen technology. TMB already owns over 130 Solaris buses.
The Urbino 12 hydrogen buses will be fitted with sets of cutting-edge 70 kW fuel cells. In the articulated version, fuel cells produce 100 kW of output power. These vehicles will also feature a relatively small Solaris High Power traction battery to fulfill an auxiliary function. The heart of the vehicle will be a central traction electric motor.
State-of-the-art solutions offered in these vehicles include an efficient air-conditioning system and USB ports that enable passengers to recharge mobile devices while traveling. Bus drivers will benefit from an array of solutions to aid their work and improve road safety. One such solution is the eMirror system, consisting of cameras that replace conventional side-view mirrors. All the ordered vehicles will also be equipped with a Mobileye Shield+ device that minimizes the risk of colliding with pedestrians or cyclists.
Solaris vehicles first joined TMB’s Barcelona fleet in 2015, making Barcelona one of the first cities to deploy Urbino 18 electric buses on its streets. The carrier has since returned to that model by placing orders in 2018 and 2020. Now Solaris hydrogen buses are becoming part of Barcelona’s bus fleet for the first time.
In total, Solaris has delivered more than 900 buses to Spain, including five Urbino 12 hydrogen units to Palma de Mallorca.
