Wrightbus will supply 28 Kite Hydroliner hydrogen fuel cell-electric single-decker buses to Saarbahn in the Saarland region of Germany. The order represents further success for the manufacturer in the German market and it has been placed following what the customer describes as “a Europe-wide tender.”
Five of the buses will be delivered this year, Saarbahn has said. A tender process for a hydrogen filling station has also been completed and it will be “built parallel to the delivery of the buses.” Around €5 million is being invested in fuelling infrastructure by the operator.
The deal follows two others from German customers for the Kite Electroliner. WestVerkehr, of North Rhine Westphalia, will take 12 of them, while Regionalverkehr Köln of nearby Cologne has signed a contract for up to 60 examples. Further orders from two additional buyers in the European market have already been signed this year, for 51 buses.
All the above vehicles will be built in Ballymena. Wrightbus Chief Executive Jean-Marc Gales describes the deal with Saarbahn as “significant,” noting that the customer is the largest public transport operator in Saarbrücken and Saarland. “Adding hydrogen buses will have a significant positive impact on the region’s environment,” continues Mr Gales.
Saarbahn Project Manager Torsten Burgardt adds: “With Wrightbus, we have found a partner to bring emission-free buses to the streets of Saarbrücken and the surrounding region as quickly as possible.
“We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and this is the first step to ensure that the first part of our fleet consists of zero-emission buses in the next few years, as required by the EU Clean Vehicle Directive.”
Upon debut of the UK-specification GB Kite Hydroliner in 2021, the manufacturer noted that the platform had been packaged to permit its use in left-hand drive format with up to three doors.
