Irizar has unveiled a second-generation of its i6S Efficient hydrogen fuel cell-electric coach. The vehicle will be used by Mobico Group subsidiary Alsa in Madrid over the coming months under what the manufacturer says are real-world conditions.
The latest coach follows a first generation hydrogen i6S Efficient from Irizar that debuted at Busworld Brussels in 2023. The manufacturer made clear that the original two-axle vehicle was a proof-of-concept model.
In tri-axle format, the second-generation example was launched at the general assembly of the Spanish Hydrogen Network. It has passed type approval tests, permitting it to be used by Alsa.
Irizar says that the newer model has “substantial improvements” over the proof-of-concept coach. Those include uplifts to luggage and passenger capacities, a greater range, and lower weight. It adds that the hydrogen coach has a fuel cell and an electric propulsion system suited to medium- and long-distance applications.
Fuelling time is around 10 minutes and range is given as over 1,000km. The initial coach promised a range of up to that figure and fuelling within 20 minutes. Irizar notes that the latest-generation vehicle maintains “the performance and commercial attributes equivalent to those of conventional diesel vehicles.”
The first-generation Irizar hydrogen coach successfully completed a 2,500km journey between the manufacturer’s headquarters in Ormaiztegi and Briançon in the French Alps, setting a milestone of becoming the hydrogen coach that covered the longest distance to date in Europe.
“The new vehicle reflects Irizar’s firm commitment to multi-energy solutions on the path towards decarbonising passenger transport, as well as its determination to move towards sustainable and efficient mobility,” the builder says.
Speaking at the opening of the new Irizar UK premises in Blyth during April, Irizar Group CEO noted that while the hydrogen coach platform could ultimately come here, infrastructure availability and fuel supply are currently a stumbling block.
