The performance of the hydrogen buses tested in Cluj-Napoca is among the best so far in the promotion tour that started in 2022. With an average consumption of 5.1 kg per 100 km, the buses tested in our country achieved an efficiency of about 20% better than the average consumption recorded in other countries, of 6.7 – 9 kg / 100 km.
“The involvement of Romania and, especially, of the two cities – Cluj-Napoca and Galati – in the 2024 Roadshow is not arbitrary: both municipalities have shown their openness to green technology and have publicly expressed their desire to expand the fleet of buses with hydrogen vehicles, for a cleaner environment”, say Cristina Păun and Andreea Gheorghe, national coordinators of the project. “We are proud to support this initiative as part of our desire to help bring clean energy solutions of the future to the reality of today.”
The tests in Cluj-Napoca included about 600 kilometres covered in three days, during which the hydrogen buses transported passengers on the streets of the city, covering 6 public transport lines. The results include an average consumption achieved on the last test day of 3.5 kg/100km and a regeneration capacity of 97.66 kWh on the first test day, out of the 221 kWh of energy used in operation.
Around 100 people, including top representatives of the local government, the European Commission, and the British Embassy in Romania, attended the conference in Cluj-Napoca.
Mirela Atanasiu, Managing Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, spoke about the drastic reduction in prices for hydrogen technology used for public transport. “We are in the fourth generation of buses; we started in 2008 with a price of over 1.5 million euros for a bus, now we are talking about 500 to 600,000 euros for a bus,” said Mirela Atanasiu.
Ovidiu Cîmpean, Secretary of State at the Ministry of European Funds, referred to Cluj-Napoca describing it as “one of the most developed cities in Central and Eastern Europe” in terms of sustainability and carbon-free mobility. He said that 18 electric buses funded by the NRRP have already been delivered and a new application for funding is to be submitted for another 22 buses. “As for hydrogen, we have a feasibility study almost finalised, whereby we are to purchase 25 hydrogen buses and build a hydrogen production station with a production capacity of one tonne per day. In addition to the public transport project, we are also looking at investments in heating. We want to have an energy island in Cluj-Napoca, a quarter with a plant that runs exclusively on hydrogen,” said Cîmpean.
For his part, Adrian Foghiș, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, said that there is a lead in the rail transport sector where the procedure for the purchase of rolling stock has been launched. “We have set ourselves the target of acquiring 12 hydrogen induction electric trainsets,” he recalled, referring to 2027 as the deadline for them to be available and operational. “At the ministry, we are thinking of areas where the hydrogen refuelling part can be used intermodally, whether it’s road, rail and beyond.”
In terms of road infrastructure, all service areas on major European routes, especially motorways, will have hydrogen charging points, Foghiș said.
The city of Galati followed the tour to promote hydrogen buses with two days of tests, and on May 13 there will be a second event to promote hydrogen-powered urban mobility.
About JIVE 1 and JIVE 2
The JIVE and JIVE2 projects are financed by the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking under grant agreements no. 735582 and 779563. The Clean Hydrogen Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s research and innovation programs Horizon 2020, Hydrogen Europe, and Hydrogen Europe Research.
The JIVE and JIVE2 projects, which started in January 2017 and January 2018, respectively, will deploy approx. 300 zero-emission fuel cell buses and associated infrastructure (under the MEHRLIN project) in 16 European cities and regions by the first half of the 2020s, which represents the largest implementation in Europe so far. The buses will be deployed in cities and regions in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Find out more about the project activities on the project website (fuelcellbuses.eu), also on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram pages.
About the Clean Hydrogen Partnership
The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is supporting research and innovation (R&I) activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe. It aims to accelerate the development of advanced clean hydrogen applications ready for market, across end-use sectors such as energy, transport, building and industry, while strengthening the competitiveness of the clean hydrogen value chain. The members of the partnership are the European Commission, fuel cell and hydrogen industries represented by Hydrogen Europe and the research community represented by Hydrogen Europe Research.
About ERM
As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges, and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. ERM’s diverse team of 8,000+ world-class experts in over 150 offices in 40 countries and territories combine strategic transformation and technical delivery to help clients operationalize sustainability at pace and scale. ERM calls this capability its “boots to boardroom” approach – a comprehensive service model that helps organizations to accelerate the integration of sustainability into their strategy and operations.
ERM is the project coordinator of the JIVE and JIVE 2 projects.
About Energy42
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