More hydrogen-powered buses for Konin. Solaris to supply the "Bus of the Year 2025"

Solaris Bus & Coach will deliver 5 articulated hydrogen buses to Konin. The operator has chosen the Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen model, winner of the prestigious European Bus of the Year 2025 award. This will be the debut of this model in Poland. The contract is scheduled to be completed by 2026.

Today, representatives from Solaris Bus & Coach and MZK Konin signed a contract for the supply of five Urbino 18 hydrogen buses that will join the city’s fleet in 2026. This investment continues Konin commitment to zero-emission hydrogen technology in public transport. In 2022, Solaris provided the operator with an Urbino 12 hydrogen model, which was the first hydrogen bus used in public transport in Poland. Now, MZK Konin has chosen to buy five units of the articulated version from the manufacturer.

The Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen bus has recently received the prestigious Bus of the Year 2025 title, awarded by an international jury following several days of testing. The winning model has already been put into service in several European cities, including Cologne, Aschaffenburg and Barcelona. This contract marks the debut of the Solaris articulated hydrogen bus in Poland.

“At Solaris, our mission is to advance sustainable urban mobility, and it is exciting to see Konin investing in zero-emission technology. We’re proud to see the hydrogen-powered Solaris bus as part of this transformative journey, bringing comfort to passengers and cleaner air to the city,” said Mateusz Figaszewski, Institutional Partnerships & External Relations Director at Solaris Bus & Coach.

The 18-metre Solaris buses ordered by MZK in Konin will feature advanced hydrogen system, including a 100 kW hydrogen fuel cell and eight composite tanks, storing approximately 50 kg of hydrogen at a pressure of 350 bar. In addition, the vehicles will be equipped with Solaris High Power batteries to support the fuel cell at times of peak electricity demand. Powering the Urbino electric drive system is a 240 kW traction motor.

Hydrogen-powered buses are an integral part of Solaris’ zero-emissions offer. Their primary advantage lies in their fully zero-emission operation. This makes a real contribution to improving air quality at the point of use. Additional benefits include long range – over 600 km (based on eSORT test results) – a high passenger capacity, and short refuelling times. Solaris has already delivered 370 hydrogen-powered vehicles to 31 cities across 10 European countries, with nearly 500 additional buses ordered. The Polish market is also showing growing interest in hydrogen technology, with Urbino hydrogen buses already in operation in Lublin, Poznan, and Walbrzych, in addition to Konin.

The purchase of hydrogen buses by MZK Konin is part of a larger regional project for low-emission public transport. Funded 90% by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW), the project includes a new bus depot, a transfer hub at the railway station, and an expanded intelligent traffic management system for the city.

In the fourth photo, from left to right: Paweł Adamów, Deputy Mayor of Konin; Piotr Korytkowski, Mayor of Konin; Magdalena Przybyła, CEO of MZK Konin; Andrzej Sienkiewicz, Sales Director at Solaris Bus & Coach; Mateusz Figaszewski, Institutional Partnerships & External Relations Director at Solaris Bus & Coach.

Photos no. 4 and 5: Marcin Szafrański, Przegląd Koniński.