ORLEN Unipetrol with the cities of Most and Litvínov launches pilot operation of a hydrogen bus
The refining and petrochemical group ORLEN Unipetrol, in cooperation with the cities of Most and Litvínov, is launching a pilot operation of a hydrogen bus developed by the Slovak company Mobility&Innovation Production s.r.o. “The hydrogen bus will be put into operation on selected lines in the cities of Most and Litvínov from Thursday 29 June to Sunday 9 July,” Daniel Dunovský, Director of the Transport Company of the Cities of Most and Litvínov, said, ” The bus will be in operation in Most for the first few days, then it will move to Litvínov, and on the last day of testing it will be in Most again.” The pilot operation will include a presentation of the hydrogen bus to the public on Wednesday 28 June from 13:00 to 14:30 in front of the municipal office in Litvínov and from 15:00 to 16:30 in front of the city hall in Most.
Most and Litvínov will become one of the first cities in the Czech Republic where a hydrogen bus has been deployed on regular routes. “We see hydrogen as one of the essential tools for meeting decarbonisation targets. ORLEN Unipetrol has opened up an ideal opportunity for us to test a hydrogen bus in the Most region by putting a hydrogen station into operation. If the test run is successful, we will start taking concrete steps to get such a bus into the fleet of our transport company by the end of 2024.” said Marek Hrvol, Mayor of the Statutory City of Most.
“This is also a welcome opportunity for our city to move forward on the road to developing low-emission and emission-free mobility in public transport,” added Kamila Bláhová, Mayor of Litvínov , adding: “The testing of the hydrogen bus is divided into two phases. After the current, summer testing, we will also carry out a test run in the winter months.”
Both cities are cooperating with the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, which has facilitated and financially supported the hydrogen bus for this pilot project, on the test operation of the hydrogen bus. “We are taking a responsible part in the development of a new technology that will soon play an important role in the energy mix to meet the clean mobility and decarbonisation goals that are part of the emission-free development of the European Union and the Czech Republic,” explained Tomáš Herink, member of the Board of Directors of ORLEN Unipetrol, adding, “Hydrogen technology is an ideal complement to battery electric mobility for the development of low-emission and emission-free passenger, public and freight transport both on the road and on the railway.”
The low-floor electric bus with hydrogen fuel cells was developed by the Slovak company Mobility&Innovation Production s.r.o. It has an overall length of 7 982 cm, width of 2 550 cm and height of 2 940 cm. Its maximum capacity is up to 68 passengers, of which 20 are seated. The fully air-conditioned bus can travel up to 350 km on hydrogen and a further 100 km on battery power. The bus is powered by a Siemens Elfa electric motor with a total output of 125 kW and a torque of 1,019 Nm. The electric motor is powered by a pair of batteries with a total capacity of 70 kWh. The total capacity of the four hydrogen tanks is 10.5 kg and refuelling takes 10 minutes.
Hydrogen bus test schedule:
Thursday 29.6.2023: Line 17 (TRANSPORT BUSINESS-ZAHRAŽANY-TRAFFIC BUSINESS)
Friday 30.6.2023: Line 17 (TRANSPORT BUSINESS-ZAHRAŽANY-TRANSPORT BUSINESS)
Saturday 1 July 2023: Line 30 (JEZERO-NÁDRAŽÍ-NEMOCNICE-NÁDRAŽÍ-JEZERO)
Sunday 2 July 2023: Line 30 (JEZERO-NÁDRAŽÍ-NEMOCNICE-NÁDRAŽÍ-JEZERO)
Monday 3 July 2023: Line 25 (HALASOVA-KAHAN-HALASOVA AND BACK)
Tuesday 4 July 2023: Line 13 (JANOV-KOLDŮM AND BACK)
Wednesday 5/7/2023: Line 23 (LITVÍNOV,POLIKLINIKA-MEZIBOŘÍ-LITVÍNOV,POLIKLINIKA)
Thursday 6 July 2023: Line 13 (JANOV-KOLDŮM AND BACK)
Friday 7/7/2023: Lines 8, 27 and 28 (INTRODUCTOR TRANSPORTATION IN CHEMPARK),
Saturday 8 July 2023: Line 13 (JANOV-KOLDŮM AND BACK)
Sunday 9 July 2023: Line 30 (JEZERO-NÁDRAŽÍ-NEMOCNICE-NÁDRAŽÍ-JEZERO)
ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on the processing of crude oil and the production, distribution and sale of fuels and petrochemical products – mainly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it is a major player on the Czech and Central European markets. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group also includes the ORLEN Benzina network of petrol stations in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in Slovakia and Hungary. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, which is the largest multi-energy company in Central Europe. ORLEN Unipetrol employs nearly 6,000 people and is active in the field of corporate social responsibility. It focuses its attention on initiatives aimed at cultivating and supporting sustainable development, education, local communities and the environment.
ORLEN Benzina is part of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, which belongs to the multinational ORLEN Group, and operates the largest network of petrol stations in the Czech Republic. In addition to Efecta fuels with a cleaning effect, ORLEN Benzina also offers premium Verva fuels and a wide range of snacks in the Stop Cafe gastronomic concept. ORLEN Benzina also issues its own EASY and BUSINESS refuelling cards and offers customers two mobile apps – the ORLEN Benzina loyalty app and the car care app Wash digi-line. ORLEN Benzina also offers alternative LPG, CNG and electricity in its network of petrol stations. It is also preparing hydrogen filling stations for operation. In total, ORLEN Benzina operates 436 petrol stations in the Czech Republic and has a market share of 23%. Consumer confidence is confirmed by the fact that ORLEN Benzina has already been awarded the title of the Most Trusted Brand in the Czech Republic five times and the title of Trader of the Year four times.
