3Emotion's first 2 Fuel Cell Electric Buses (hydrogen buses) launched at public transport operator RET in Rotterdam.

Friday, June 30, 2 fuel cell electric buses (FCEB's or hydrogen buses) are being launched at public transport operator RET in Rotterdam.

It is now widely acknowledged that the future of public transport buses will have to be zero-emission. Fuel cell electric buses are one of the technologies that meet that requirement.

“Today, a hydrogen bus drove for the first time through the city. We all want clean air in the city. At the moment we are in a transit phase to completely clean buses and we have reached a unique moment: the introduction of the hydrogen bus." said Maurice Unck, director of RET.

Two hydrogen buses, manufactured by Van Hool,  will drive after the summer in the RET fleet. These are the first buses in the fleet that are 100% emission-free.

The buses are the first fuel cell electric buses being launched within the 3Emotion project.

The buses will fuel at the existing refuelling station of Air Liquide in Rotterdam, of which the storage capacity is expanded for this purpose, also within the 3Emotion project.

3Emotion is the 4th large scale bus project, co-financed by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, and aims to bridge the gap between fuel cell bus demonstration and larger scale deployment.

The project involves the deployment of 21 new and the further use of 8 existing fuel cell buses with the required refuelling infrastructure. These buses will be deployed at 6 sites and operated by different public transport operators located all over Europe: apart from Rotterdam City (NL), the buses will be demonstrated in Rotterdam South (Province), London (UK), Versailles (FR), Aalborg (DK), Pau (FR) and Rome (IT).

WaterstofNet is responsible for the dissemination of the project.

Download here the press release

Download here the picture galery

The partners of the bus project at the bus refuelling station of Air Liquide in Rhoon.