Implementation and consolidation of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Network in Barcelona metropolitan area
About this good practice
Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) is the transport public operator of the bus and metro network in the Barcelona metropolitan area and the main stakeholder of Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) in the European project GH2M.
TMB is advancing its hydrogen bus fleet as part of the European GH2M project. In 2022, TMB introduced eight 12-meter fuel cell (FC) buses from CAETANO, becoming the first public operator in Spain to integrate FC buses. By 2024, TMB expanded its fleet with two 18-meter articulated hydrogen buses from Solaris Bus Ibérica, featuring a 100 kW battery and 160 kW motor, enabling full-day operation without recharging and increased passenger capacity.
Assuming 40 standard FC buses replace 40 conventional diesel buses, CO2 emissions could be reduced by approximately 47.6 tons per bus annually, as diesel buses emit around 1,058 kg CO2/km over 45,000 km per year, while FC buses produce zero operational emissions.
The recent acquisition of 36 additional 12-meter hydrogen buses and two articulated units from Solaris represents TMB’s largest hydrogen fleet purchase. This investment is supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible, Next Generation EU funds, and the European JIVE2 project, promoting hydrogen as a clean energy source for public transport in Europe.
Resources needed
The main challenge was securing the financial resources to build a hydrogen refueling station (HRS) and to acquire a minimum number of FC buses despite having no prior experience in Spain.
8- 12m FC buses CAETANO: 5,3M€
2- articulated 18m FC buses SOLARIS: 1,8M€
36- 12m FC buses SOLARIS: 23,4M€
Evidence of success
The initiative has been a success, as the fleet continues to grow due to the positive operational results achieved in the city.
Next year, the purchase of 14 additional buses is planned, reaching the full production capacity of the hydrogen refueling station (HRS).
In total, TMB will have its own fleet of 60 fuel cell vehicles from different manufacturers and types.
TMB is also participating in an innovative project for the retrofit of a minibus.
Potential for learning or transfer
After these first years of operation, TMB has gained a lot of experience from both our successes and our mistakes. We now understand which types of vehicles are optimal for specific routes, as fuel cell buses are not the best option for every type of route but perform very well under certain conditions.
Additionally, TMB has also acquired significant experience in terms of permits and the technical complexities related to maintenance and safety in the working environments of these types of vehicles.
