The Irizar i6S Efficient H2 FCEV hydrogen fuel cell-electric coach will be available for production in the first half of 2027 after a demonstrator entered passenger-carrying service with Alsa in the manufacturer’s home market of Spain.
That vehicle is a second-generation hydrogen coach and follows the earlier proof-of-concept model that was shown at Busworld Brussels in 2023. Mobico Group business Alsa is using the newer example on what Irizar says are “both demanding intercity and long-distance routes” around the capital Madrid.
Utilised in the second-generation hydrogen coach from Irizar is a 190kW Bosch fuel cell. Refuelling is cited as taking 10-15 minutes, with a range in excess of 1,000km to give performance and commercial attributes equivalent to those of diesel vehicles, it adds.
The green coach has a seating capacity of 69 on three axles and can also carry 18 standing passengers, with the builder saying that the vehicle has proved itself “as a sustainable, efficient and reliable solution for all types of applications.”
The i6S Efficient H2 FCEV is the first hydrogen-powered coach from a European manufacturer. An electric propulsion system is designed for medium- and long-distance applications, with the second generation model having “substantial improvements” over the proof-of-concept vehicle from 2023 in areas including luggage and passenger capacity, range, and weight.
Bringing the hydrogen coach to production availability in 2027 reflects a commitment to what the builder says is a multi-energy solution for passenger transport decarbonisation and “its conviction to move towards sustainable and efficient mobility.”
The first-generation coach previously completed a 2,500km journey from the manufacturer’s headquarters in Ormaiztegi to Briançon in the French Alps, setting what Irizar says is a record for the longest distance travelled by a hydrogen coach in Europe to date.
At Busworld Brussels in 2025, it displayed the i3 Normal Floor battery-electric low-height coach with a claimed range of up to 450km.
