Cologne, Saarbrücken and Cottbus to count on VEDS city buses with hydrogen fuel cells

HEIDENHEIM, GERMANY. The EU-wide Clean Vehicle Directive (CVD) requires member states to ensure that 65 percent of all newly registered low-floor buses have an alternative drive system by 2030. Almost six percent of the around 54,000 buses in Germany registered by 2023 currently meet this provision. Alongside battery-electric solutions, German bus operators are also opting for fuel cells. British bus manufacturer Wrightbus alone is set to supply hydrogen fuel cell buses equipped with the Voith electrical drive system (VEDS) to the cities of Cologne, Saarbrücken and Cottbus and for WestVerkehr in Geilenkirchen.

The Kite Hydroliner solo city bus can carry up to 90 passengers. Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus offers this bus with either a 70- or 100-kW fuel cell module. Bus operators can also choose whether they want the buses to have four cylinders with 32 kg hydrogen, five cylinders with 40 kg hydrogen or seven cylinders with 50 kg hydrogen. When it comes to the drive system, however, Wrightbus relies exclusively on the VEDS from Voith.

Voith has already supplied more than 1,000 of its efficient drive system to British bus manufacturers Alexander Dennis and Wrightbus alone. In Europe, the UK is the current frontrunner when it comes to new registrations of electric buses. Voith’s extensive experience, plus the customers` desire to quickly incorporate zero-emission buses into their own fleets to meet the Clean Vehicle Directive, are some of the reasons that prompted the bus operators in Cologne (Regionalverkehr Köln), Saarbrücken (Saarbahn), Cottbus (Cottbusverkehr) and Geilenkirchen (WestVerkehr) to opt for the VEDS from Voith in buses from Northern Irish manufacturer Wrightbus.

In 2024, for example, 31 Kite Hydroliners were delivered to the bus operator in Cologne. In Saarbrücken, 28 hydrogen fuel cell powered buses of the same type are set to go into service by the end of 2025. In Cottbus, the operating company is considering as many as 46 Kite Hydroliners, while in Geilenkirchen, 12 Kite Hydroliners will take to the roads.

“We are delighted by the growing number of electric city buses featuring our VEDS,” says Helmut Zimmermann, who is responsible for the German-speaking markets at Voith. By the end of 2025, a total of around 150 VEDS will be supplied for installation in city buses for the German market.