Wrightbus said one of the first firm orders for its hydrogen buses in Australia open the door for to a “huge” market in the future.
It follows news that Volgren, the bus body manufacturer which earlier this year signed a deal to build the Ballymena company’s buses in Australia, has secured a deal with operator Transdev for the manufacture of two zero-emission hydrogen buses.
The new vehicles will service the eastern suburb of Brisbane and have been funded to the tune of $1.5 million under the Queensland State Government’s Hydrogen Industry Development Fund, matched by $1.5 million from Transdev.
Joerg Hofmann, Wrightbus Chief Executive, said he was proud of the companies partnership with Volgren.
“This is an extremely exciting development for sustainable public transport in Australia,” he said. “We know from our vast expertise and experience the significant part hydrogen can play in the decarbonisation of public transport and we believe the scope for uptake across the Australian market is huge as the country makes the vital switch to zero-emission vehicles.
He said the new hydrogen buses are transformational for the public transport sector.
“Our hydrogen technology has a number of advantages - our Wrightbus Hydroliner bus has a 300-mile range, takes eight minutes to refuel and journeys are zero-emission due to it emitting only water vapour.”
Yuri Tessari, Volgren’s Chief Commercial Officer, said the buses would be one of the first hydrogen buses in Australia to be built locally, and the first to be powered using European chassis technology.
"The partnership between Volgren and Wrightbus combines Europe's leading hydrogen chassis manufacturer with Australia's largest bus body builder.
"It's an exciting time for both companies, working to create the best possible hydrogen bus for local conditions."
