News and updates

Arnhem, 17 June 2016

HyMove B.V. presents new hydrogen bus to public transport company Syntus

New hydrogen bus equipped with fuel cell system of HyMove B.V.

The Arnhem company HyMove B.V. presented a new hydrogen bus to public transport company Syntus on 17 June. The bus is used by Syntus in the Arnhem-Apeldoorn region. The bus was built by the Polish bus manufacturer Solbus and uses a fuel cell system of HyMove B.V., which provides the electric energy. The bus for Syntus is the first in a series that will be marketed on a commercial basis by Solbus and HyMove. Gelderland is the first province in our country, where this new generation of zero-emission hydrogen buses is going to ride. For the province, which supports the project, apart from Gelderland companies the technology used and the associated employment and driving experience with hydrogen buses in public transport matters.

“We see it as our social responsibility to contribute to the further introduction of zero-emission bus transport,” Cees Anker, general manager of public transport company Syntus said, after he had symbolically cut open the door of the hydrogen bus, together with the deputy of the province of Gelderland Jan Jacob van Dijk. “This region has already gained a lot of useful experience with hydrogen buses in recent years. Therefore, the use of hydrogen was considered as an option in the public transport tenders, but that has not yet got off the ground. Together with HyMove and the province we have decided to start an experiment with the hydrogen bus. In the coming years Syntus and HyMove want to expand steadily the number of hydrogen buses in the timetable. Thus we respond to the agreement between the public transport companies and State Secretary Dijksma. It states, that from 2025 in public transport only buses ride that are free of harmful emissions.”

The new hydrogen bus is a standard model, the SM12 FC, of the Polish bus manufacturer Solbus, equipped with a fuel cell system of HyMove B.V. The system converts hydrogen into electricity, on which the bus rides. The emission of a fuel cell system consists only of water, so that the bus does not expel any contaminants. Moreover, the bus is almost silent. In addition to the fuel cell system in the rear of the bus there are tanks for the hydrogen on the roof of the bus, and battery packs, that are needed in order to recover the braking energy. The bus is also equipped with electric wheel hub motors developed by the Apeldoorn company e-Traction, which are manufactured and delivered by the German company ZIEHL-ABEGG. The wheels are also the only moving parts in the drive of the bus making it very energy efficient and low maintenance. The drive has an output of 226 kW (307 hp), so the bus is also performing well in terms of driving style.

“The new generation of hydrogen buses is the result of the HyMove project, which was acquired in the region Arnhem between 2009 and 2013 to gain practical experience in running on hydrogen,” explains Theo Hendriks, CEO of HyMove BV. “The former HyMove bus had similar technology. For refueling the hydrogen and some hydrogen cars Arnhem got at that time the first public hydrogen filling station in the Netherlands. We have continued the HyMove project under the wings of HyMove B.V. That is a commercial company, which has focused on building fuel cell systems for among others buses and trucks. The use of hydrogen in transport is gaining momentum. Many car manufacturers already produce hydrogen cars in small series, but we think that in particular the use of hydrogen in public transport will accelerate the acceptance of hydrogen. ”

Jan Jacob van Dijk, deputy of the province of Gelderland, who has Energy transition in his portfolio, explained that employment issues are important for the province in addition to energy issues. “In and around Arnhem there are several companies engaged in hydrogen technology. HyMove has brought together many of these Gelderland technologies in the fuel cell system for the new bus. If HyMove manages to put the concept in the market on a large scale, this will strengthen the position of Gelderland in the energy and environmental technology. It also has its impact on employment in the region. For us the test will be completely successful if the passengers in the bus are just making their trips according to the timetable. ”