Poznan & Antwerp run into trouble with hydrogen buses

The Polish transport operator MPK Poznan recently withdrew all 25 hydrogen buses from service after the onboard diagnostic systems of some vehicles detected unexpected malfunctions. The most likely cause is considered to be the poor quality of the hydrogen supplied by Orlen.

The manufacturer Solaris has allegedly identified the poor quality of the hydrogen that Orlen supplied to the H2 refuelling station as the cause. “This is currently being clarified and checked in independent laboratories examining hydrogen samples from the station that supplies buses in Poznan,” the manufacturer announced. MPK Poznan made a similar statement: “We are currently working together with the bus manufacturer and the hydrogen fuel supplier to clarify the cause and resolve the problems, which we will keep you informed of.”

However, further details have not yet been communicated. What is clear is that fuel cells require hydrogen with a very high degree of purity in order to function properly – hydrogen for other industrial applications often does not have this quality. The problems could have been caused during production by impurities or simply by a mix-up.

However, MPK Poznan intends to stick with the hydrogen buses in principle. The public transport operator in Poznan only ordered nine more vehicles from Solaris in February, which will expand the fleet to 34 H2 buses from April 2026.

Meanwhile, in Antwerp, Belgium, the five hydrogen buses used by De Lijn have finally been taken out of service. “From an operational and financial perspective, hydrogen is currently not a viable option for public transport in Belgium,” explained Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder. The bankruptcy of the manufacturer Van Hool was also a decisive factor, as technical support and maintenance options were no longer available, which would have resulted in potentially significantly higher maintenance and operating costs.

“Our electrification strategy is focussed on battery-powered vehicles. There are no plans to use hydrogen buses,” said De Ridder.

h2-view.com (Poznan), h2-view.com (Antwerp)