In-der-City-Bus GmbH (ICB), the public transport operator in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, has placed an order for nine Urbino 18 hydrogen buses from Solaris Bus & Coach. There are already 23 hydrogen-powered Solaris buses running in the metropolis, supplied in 2022 and 2024. Deliveries of the articulated buses from the latest order are scheduled for July 2025.
Solaris hydrogen buses, equipped with modern hydrogen fuel cells enabling emission-free operation, continue to dominate the European market. The municipal transport company ICB operates three bus bundles in Frankfurt am Main, one of Germany’s largest cities. The carrier aims for a fully electrified bus fleet by the early 2030s, which is in line with climate protection goals set by the city. The carrier’s fleet already includes five battery-powered Urbino 12 electric vehicles and 23 Urbino 12 hydrogen vehicles. The articulated hydrogen-powered buses will join them in 2025.
Each of the vehicles will be powered by a 100-kW fuel cell. Additional batteries will be installed in all of the ordered buses, serving as auxiliary power. Hydrogen necessary to power the buses will be stored in gaseous form in roof-mounted composite tanks, meeting the highest safety standards.
Like the previous vehicles for ICB, the newly ordered models will be equipped with features such air conditioning with a heat pump heating function, as well as eSConnect, the manufacturer’s proprietary software for remote fleet management. Bus equipment will include a range of systems compliant with the latest GSR2 regulations, including blind-spot monitoring, speed limit detection, driver fatigue detection and tire pressure monitoring.
Solaris’ market share in the European hydrogen segment reached 44.5% in 2023. The company has been building its expertise in hydrogen technology for almost a decade and has delivered 200 Solaris hydrogen buses to 24 cities in Europe so far. Furthermore, Solaris has registered additional orders for 600 hydrogen-powered vehicles to be delivered between 2024 and 2026.
