A Polish manufacturer of hydrogen buses is preparing a model with battery power

Most often, the development of hydrogen fuel cell buses is based on vehicles with simpler designs that use battery power. However, the relatively new Polish manufacturer NesoBus did exactly the opposite. A few years ago, it began producing hydrogen buses at its new factory in Swidnik, and now it has decided to start manufacturing conventional battery-electric buses using that same platform. Moreover, this is for a specific customer order.

A few days ago, on August 21, the company signed an agreement with the Polish operator PKM Swierklaniec from the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie metropolitan area for the supply of 9 such electric buses along with four charging stations rated at 80 and 120 kW. The contract, worth a total of 28.64 million zloty (6.65 million euros), will be 80% funded by the EU under one of its programs. Delivery is scheduled to take place by March 2027.

Regarding the technical specifications of the NesoBus battery electric bus, it is only known that it will be a 12-meter model capable of carrying 72 passengers, with a range of up to 350 km.

For reference, the series-produced hydrogen bus NesoBus, with the same length, can accommodate up to 93 passengers and travel up to 450 km without refueling. It is equipped with a Ballard Fuel Cell power unit of 70 kW, LTO batteries totaling 30.4 kW, and two ZF AxTrax AVE electric motors, each at 125 kW. As of today, eight NesoBus hydrogen buses are already in operation on the roads of the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie metropolitan area.