Loop Energy, a designer and manufacturer of fuel cell systems targeted for the electrification of commercial vehicles, announced that Mobility & Innovation, a Slovakia-based company responsible for the development of composite, lightweight, zero-emissions city bus platforms, is launching its H2Bus, a 26-foot-long (8-m) hydrogen-electric minibus. A launch event was held in Bratislava, Slovakia. With more than 745 miles (1200 km) driven, Mobility & Innovation developed the bus to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuel cell technology in transit vehicles and market its future product line. The bus, with seating for 21 passengers, offers a zero-emissions solution to urban transit. Power will be provided by a Loop Energy S300 Series hydrogen fuel cell system and an electric motor.
Mobility & Innovation will display the bus in Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, with the goal of securing orders for the H2Bus in markets across Europe.
The H2Bus is focused on fuel efficiency. It requires less than 25 lb. (11.3 kg) of hydrogen to achieve more than 250 miles (402 km) of range. The increased fuel efficiency allows for lower onboard fuel storage, which has enabled the flexibility to integrate the hydrogen tanks into the engine compartment of the bus. H2Bus is an early example of where this design has been made possible in a minibus.
Mobility & Innovation chose Loop Energy’s 30-kW fuel cell system after its eFlow technology outperformed competitors’ products in fuel efficiency tests last year. Throughout the pilot phase of its customer adoption cycle, Loop Energy provided integration and design support to help achieve EU homologation approval. Now that Mobility & Innovation can offer the H2Bus for fleet deployment, Loop Energy believes it is close to advancing to the scale-up phase.
“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.” Loop Energy announced the shipment of the fuel cell system in September 2021 and has agreed to deliver more systems over the next two and a half years.
