Wiener Linien buys innovative battery-hydrogen buses for the city.
From mid-2025, the electric buses in Vienna’s city center will be replaced by new battery-hydrogen buses. Following a Europe-wide tender, Wiener Linien is investing in ten new minibuses from the Italian manufacturer Rampini. These are powered by both hydrogen and electricity and are the first minibuses with this technology. They replace the purely electric buses on lines 2A and 3A, which have reached their mechanical load limit.
Rampini Hydron Range Extender sets new standards
In the future, Wiener Linien will be even more flexible in its travel within the city center. The current bus and its successor are similar in terms of dimensions and external appearance, but technically the battery-hydrogen bus is an innovation in the minibus segment.
All-day operation without recharging, no charging infrastructure required in the city
The Rampini Hydron Range Extender is powered by a 230 kW electric motor that draws its energy from a 170 kWh battery. A hydrogen fuel cell generates new electrical energy while driving, so the bus can be in use all day without recharging.
This means that charging infrastructure is no longer required in the city center and the vehicle fleet for lines 2A and 3A can be reduced from 12 to 10 buses. With the new Rampini Hydron Range Extender, Wiener Linien also remains flexible and can easily react to any timetable changes.
Technical infrastructure of Wiener Netze and Wien Energie
In the future, the new, fully air-conditioned buses will be refueled and charged at an H2 filling station and charging station operated by Wien Energie and Wiener Netze. Green hydrogen produced locally in Vienna will be used.
Technical data for Rampini’s electric hydrogen bus:
- Type designation: Rampini Hydron
- Manufacturer: Rampini Carlo SpA
- Production location: Italy
- The vehicle is 8 meters long / 2.2 meters wide / 3.25 meters high
- Total capacity: 42 passengers (13 seats, 28 standing places, 1 combination seat)
- Fuel cell with 30 kW output
- Traction battery 175 kWh
- Drive type: electric central motor with 230 kW power
- 3 hydrogen tanks on the roof with 5 kg capacity each (total capacity: 15 kg)
- Range: 250km
Our declared goal: the transition to climate-friendly forms of propulsion
With the battery-hydrogen bus, Wiener Linien is continuing its consistent path towards new, climate-friendly drive technologies.
Only in February of this year was the newCompetence center for electromobility opensSix bus lines have now been converted to purely electric propulsion and 30 twelve-meter-long eCitaros are in operation.
Wiener Linien, together with the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection and the EU, is investing around twelve million euros in the purchase and maintenance of the new Rampini buses.
Gudrun Senk, Managing Director of Wiener Linien for the technical department, said:
We have tested the new bus intensively in advance and are using the new drive system to take advantage of the synergies within the Wiener Stadtwerke group.
“The innovative battery-hydrogen technology enables all-day operation without interruptions in charging. The green hydrogen required is produced directly on site in Vienna, so that we are independent and climate-neutral. This enables us to further reduce emissions and at the same time offer our passengers the high level of comfort offered by Wiener Linien.
2025: pure hydrogen buses for Vienna
In 2025, in addition to the new Rampini Hydron Range Extender minibuses, pure hydrogen buses will also be used: ten buses from the Portuguese manufacturer CaetanoBus will be on route 39A. The twelve-meter-long, barrier-free buses will in future be refueled at the hydrogen filling station of Wien Energie and Wiener Netze on the grounds of the Leopoldau bus garage (21st district). Wiener Linien is thus using the hydrogen infrastructure of the Wiener Stadtwerke Group, which was built with foresight, for two new bus models.
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Wiener Linien buys innovative battery-hydrogen buses for the city. source
