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A modern-day hydrogen-powered bus is heading to Prague

The ecological bus Škoda H'City 12 will be driving through the streets of Prague already at the beginning of April. You can find out when the bus will be for sale and what its advantages are.

The hydrogen bus – the vehicle powered by the future

Škoda Group Pilsen presented the new Czech-made Škoda H'City hydrogen bus at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin last year. The development took an endless three years - the car had to undergo demanding, often oversized tests. The company places great emphasis on ecology and the development of emission-free vehicles, which is why it has already launched a hydrogen bus on the market in the past – Škoda TriHyBus was introduced in 2009 and has been in operation for a number of years.

Škoda bet on safety and took inspiration from the previous model. TriHyBus kept proven practices and added innovative technology to them. The company thus created an emission-free ecological car of the modern age.

Prague will test a new bus

The Prague transport company will be the first to test the new hydrogen bus. At the turn of March and April (after the completion of the homologation procedure), the Škoda H'City 12 bus is to be deployed on line 170 Barrandov - Jižní Město. Testing will take place for a maximum of two years. DPP wants to test the leased bus under normal conditions and the financial demands of its operation, for the possible purchase of additional Škoda H'City cars. One of the many conditions for the possibility to test the bus in operation was to set up a hydrogen filling station. Prague fulfilled this condition, and the ORLEN gas station set up a pump in "K Barrandovu" street with the possibility of filling the bus tank with alternative energy.

Those interested in the new bus are flocking

Other big cities - Ostrava, Brno or Pilsen - also have a desire to test the new vehicle. Škoda Group plans to complete three more prototypes by the end of the first quarter of 2024 and try other options as well - they want to change the bodywork and electrical engineering. However, infrastructure is a problem. However, the Ministry of Transport is ready to provide sufficient infrastructure to put the hydrogen bus into regular operation. According to Minister Martin Kupka, 6 billion is prepared in the "Transportation" operational program to ensure all conditions for the operation of the hydrogen bus. By 2030, 40 freely available hydrogen stations should be established throughout the country.

Bus for sale

Škoda Group Plzeň started working on other prototypes, as there is really great interest in the hydrogen bus. However, its sale price is still in the stars. Currently, the amount is around CZK 14 - CZK 300, which is twice the price of a bus with a diesel engine. But with increasing interest and mass production, the price will decrease. Serial production of the bus will only start when there is a larger number of orders.

Within five years, hydrogen bus operation should be acceptable. Currently, the price of one kilometer is twice as high compared to a kilometer of a regular bus.

Bus parameters

The Škoda H'City low-floor bus does not create vibrations when driving, is extremely quiet and ensures a smooth and quiet ride. Of course, the car has air conditioning. The body of the bus is Turkish, namely Temsy (part of the PPF Group). The length of the bus is 12 mm, the width is 020 mm and the height is 2 mm. In the front part of the roof of the bus, five cylinders are filled with 550 kilograms of hydrogen, which hold the cap under a pressure of 3 atmospheres. A bus will normally travel approximately 430-40 km per day. A dose of 35 kilograms of hydrogen should be enough for the bus for up to 250 km. Refilling the hydrogen tanks takes about 350 minutes. The bus also has a built-in hydrogen cell under the roof, which also produces electricity. Up to 40 people can travel in it and there are 400 seats.

You won't find a hydrogen-powered bus at TIRCENTRUM, but you can choose from proven brands such as Karosa, Irisbus and other vehicles that have been proven for years.