Loop Energy announced the debut of Mobility & Innovation’s H2Bus, an eight-meter hydrogen-electric minibus.
Mobility & Innovation constructed the bus, which has logged more than 1,200 kilometers, to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuel cell technology in transit vehicles and to advertise the company’s future product range. The bus, which seats 21 passengers, is a zero-emissions mode of urban transportation. A Loop Energy S300 Series hydrogen fuel cell system plus an electric motor will produce power.
Mobility & Innovation will showcase the bus in Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in order to secure orders for the H2Bus around Europe.
The H2Bus’s distinguishing feature is its fuel efficiency, requiring only 10.5 kilograms of hydrogen to accomplish a range of more than 400 kilometers. Increased fuel economy allows for less onboard fuel storage, which allows for the integration of hydrogen tanks into the engine compartment of the bus. The H2Bus is an early example of this idea being implemented in a minibus.
Mobility & Innovation selected Loop Energy’s 30 kW fuel cell system over competitors’ goods in last year’s fuel efficiency tests. Loop Energy offered integration and design support throughout the Pilot Phase of its Customer Adoption Cycle, assisting in obtaining EU homologation approval. Loop Energy feels it is close to going to the Scale up Phase now that Mobility & Innovation can offer the H2Bus for fleet deployment. The launch exemplifies Loop Energy’s effective go-to-market strategy, which focuses on hydrogen fuel cell adoption in commercial mobility.
“We are extremely excited to see the H2Bus come to life and believe it will set a new standard for performance in hydrogen-electric mobility across Europe,” said Loop Energy Chief Commercial Officer, George Rubin. “Throughout this project, the focus has been on how we can make the H2Bus as fuel-efficient as possible – we are proud that our eFlow technology could help Mobility & Innovation achieve its fuel consumption targets.”
“The H2Bus has always had ambitious fuel consumption targets, and by choosing Loop Energy’s fuel cell, we did not have to compromise our vision,” said Mobility & Innovation Co-Owner and CEO, János Onódi. “We aim to show bus fleet operators around Europe that hydrogen mobility is a viable option when transitioning to electrification.”
Mobility & Innovation will host a launch ceremony in Bratislava, Slovakia, to commemorate the completion of H2Bus. Over 50 representatives from government, industry, and the media will attend. During the event, Loop Energy will discuss its experience integrating their fuel cell technology into a bus. Additionally, the Slovakian Ministry of Economics will be in attendance, since it is an advocate and sponsor of hydrogen initiatives in the country.
Loop Energy said that it will begin shipping fuel cell systems in September 2021 and has committed to delivering additional systems over the next two and a half years.
