[독일] 대중교통 운영사 RVK, Solaris·Wrightbus 수소버스 108대 도입 완료…FC버스 160대로 확대

■ 제목: 108 Hydrogen Buses Ordered: RVK Achieves Funding Target of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Sets a Milestone for Climate-Neutral Mobility

■ 출처: Fuel Cells Works

■ 작성자: Fuel Cells Works

■ 발행일: August 26, 2026 at 10:13 AM EDT

■ 원문 링크: https://fuelcellsworks.com/2026/08/26/fuel-cells/108-hydrogen-buses-ordered-rvk-achieves-funding-target-of-the-federal-ministry-of-transport-and-sets-a-milestone-for-climate-neutral-mobility

■ 본문:

With the completion of federal funding under the "Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drives for Buses in Passenger Transport," Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) has reached a significant milestone for climate-neutral mobility: the complete delivery of 108 hydrogen buses subsidized by the Federal Ministry of Transport. The last of the subsidized vehicles, Wrightbus Kite Hydroliner FCEV models, arrived at RVK's depots at the end of 2025.

The funding was approved by the German Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) for RVK in 2022. Within three years, this allowed the hydrogen bus fleet to triple from 52 to 160 vehicles. RVK now operates the largest hydrogen bus fleet in Europe and is considered a pioneer in the use of this drive system on this scale. For the first time in the company's history, the proportion of vehicles with sustainable drive systems exceeded the proportion of combustion engine vehicles. As a result, a significant portion of the fleet has already been sustainably transformed within a short period.

Patrick Schnieder, Federal Minister of Transport: “RVK impressively demonstrates how our funding puts climate-friendly buses on the road. Within just a few years, the largest hydrogen bus fleet in Europe has been created in the Cologne region. We supported this step with 31 million euros. All I can say is, keep it up!”

The 108 subsidized hydrogen buses are distributed across three different models from the manufacturers Solaris (Urbino 12 Hydrogen and Urbino 18 Hydrogen) and Wrightbus. By procuring different models, RVK deliberately opted for diverse vehicle concepts, application possibilities, and technical approaches in order to gain experience under real-world operating conditions and leverage their respective strengths.

Hydrogen as part of the mobility mix

Although hydrogen makes up a large part of RVK's total bus fleet, this sustainable form of propulsion is only one component of the company's mobility mix strategy. This strategy comprises hydrogen, battery electric, biomethane (in the Euskirchen district), and diesel propulsion systems.

This mix is crucial for the mobility transition towards the company's goal of "zero emissions," enabling the parallel development of a sustainable infrastructure that can reliably supply a growing fleet of emission-free vehicles. Internal combustion engines are being phased out at RVK.

Dr. Marcel Frank, Managing Director of Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK): “Our goal is zero emissions – and for us, that means a proactive and phased development of a climate-neutral fleet. With the complete delivery of all 108 subsidized hydrogen buses, we have not only taken a major step towards our zero-emission goal. Above all, this is a success for the regions we serve and for the people who live there. Sustainable public mobility without compromising on service – this is the focus we will continue to pursue.”

This particularly benefits people in the RVK transport areas: the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, the left bank of the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, the Euskirchen district, and the urban transport systems in Bonn, Brühl, Euskirchen, Hürth, and Wesseling. More sustainable mobility without compromise is also a key issue for the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis in the further development of public transport.

Arne von Boetticher, District Administrator of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis: “For the people of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, this shift in public transport is a positive development, as hydrogen buses operate with zero local emissions, improve air quality and thus health, reduce noise, promote regional economic activity through new infrastructure, and simultaneously offer reliable, future-proof mobility without fossil fuels. Given the extensive and challenging geographical conditions, a consistent and unrestricted transition to emission-free propulsion systems is a significant undertaking. We are resolutely continuing down this path together to achieve further milestones and ensure the future viability of public transport in the region.”

Major milestone achieved – next focus on infrastructure and battery electrics

The recently prioritized expansion of the hydrogen bus fleet was based on their long range and short refueling time. A complete round trip on route 260 from Remscheid to Cologne, covering a total distance of almost 100 kilometers, is reliably possible with hydrogen buses. Refueling a bus from empty takes approximately ten minutes. The large fleet is supplied, among other locations, via RVK's own hydrogen refueling stations at its branches in Wermelskirchen and Meckenheim.

Ongoing construction projects, such as the Green Mobility Depot in Bergisch Gladbach and the training and further education center in Mechernich, are also supporting the increased demand for hydrogen supply with electrolyzers for in-house production. They simultaneously mark the starting point for the expansion of battery electric vehicles at RVK, which is firmly planned for the coming years.

The RVK project for the procurement of 108 fuel cell buses was funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport with a total of €31,012,000.00 under the "Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drive Systems for Buses in Passenger Transport." Part of the funding for this measure was provided through the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP) via the European Recovery and Resilience Facility (ARF). The funding guideline was coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by the Project Management Agency Jülich (PtJ).

■ Photo Caption:

Image Source: RVK

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