City's first hydrogen double-decker unveiled

Birmingham's first hydrogen bus has been unveiled in Centenary Square, the first of 20 that will soon be carrying passengers across the city.

The double-decker, made by Wrightbus, is one of the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell double-deckers. The only thing that comes out of its exhaust is water.

A pilot for the future

The buses have been bought as part of the council's Clean Air Hydrogen Bus Pilot, which aims to "kick-start" the market for hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel. They will be run by National Express, making Birmingham the first place in England outside London to run hydrogen buses.

Before the buses enter service in the autumn, the council and National Express will test them, train drivers and add the livery.

Hydrogen for the buses will be produced and dispensed by ITM Power at a new refuelling hub at Tyseley Energy Park.

"A practical solution"

Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "Fuel cell buses offer a practical solution for cities to decarbonise public transport and immediately improve air quality."

"The delivery of the first bus is great news for our city and the rest of the region. It means that we can now work with our partners at National Express to start testing the buses, training drivers and adding livery design before rolling the buses out for the public in Autumn this year."

"This is a significant step towards our net zero carbon target and will provide Birmingham with a leading role in informing debate on supportive policies for zero emission public transport at a local and national level."

How it was funded

The pilot has been paid for with money from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, the city council and the European JIVE project, which supports the roll-out of fuel cell buses in cities across Europe.

The council hopes the pilot will be the catalyst for the next generation of hydrogen buses, and for the production and refuelling infrastructure that will be needed to support them.

Five years in the making

Birmingham's interest in hydrogen buses goes back to 2016, when a partnership led by the council won government funding towards a hydrogen fleet. Progress has been slower than hoped, not least because of the pandemic, but the arrival of the first bus means passengers will soon be able to ride one.

Fuel cell buses work by combining hydrogen with oxygen from the air to generate electricity on board, which powers an electric motor. Unlike battery buses, they can be refuelled in minutes and can travel long distances on a single tank, which makes them well suited to busy routes.

Cleaner air

The buses arrive weeks after the launch of the city's Clean Air Zone, which charges the most polluting vehicles to enter the city centre. Buses spend much of their day on the busiest roads, so replacing diesel vehicles with zero-emission ones is seen as one of the quickest ways to cut pollution where people are most exposed to it.