With hydrogen into the future of drive systems
In addition to new technologies, we need a change in behaviour when it comes to mobility so that we can achieve the EU climate targets for reducing CO₂ emissions. That is why ÖBB-Postbus, as Austria’s largest bus company, is putting its know-how into the development of hydrogen and thus into a climate-friendly and emissions-free future in public transport. It’s how we’re making our contribution to ensuring that our planet remains worth living on for future generations. When it comes to developing hydrogen as a green technology of the future, we are not only drivers of innovation in Austria but also pioneers in the industry. Initial successful trials in scheduled bus services clearly show we are on the right track and ready to make regular use of these buses.
Hydrogen as a fuel for the electric motor
The bus runs on a hydrogen-powered electric motor. Energy is generated in the fuel cell installed in the vehicle by means of a chemical reaction that takes place through the supply of oxygen. A major difference between this and battery-powered buses is that power is generated directly in the vehicle. Hydrogen-powered buses have a range of around 400 kilometres per tank of fuel - making them ideal for intercity transport. Apart from the fact that refuelling a bus with hydrogen in normal operation takes only about 15 minutes (for 30 to 35 kg of hydrogen), hydrogen buses offer another clear advantage in the winter: the chemical reaction in the fuel cell generates heat that can be used to heat the bus.
Postbus launches first hydrogen buses in intercity transport
In December 2022, ÖBB Postbus became the first bus company in Austria to operate five buses in the Villach-Land region that are fuelled with hydrogen. By the end of 2026, there will be 36. Postbus is thus taking an important step towards climate neutrality and demonstrating the pioneering role that green hydrogen technology is playing in public transport.
How it all began: Our hydrogen tests
From 2018, ÖBB Postbus carried out successful tests of hydrogen buses in various regions in Austria and gained valuable experience in the process. In 2018, a hydrogen bus was used on Vienna Airport Lines (Schwechat Airport – Vienna) for the first time – an important step in trialling this technology of the future.
In 2019, Postbus tested an emission-free hydrogen bus in urban and regional transport in Styria together with Graz Linien.
The first public demonstration journey of a hydrogen bus took place in Klagenfurt in 2019. The foundations for climate-neutral bus transport in the central region were laid in 2020.
Green light for the first hydrogen bus fleet
In December 2022, ÖBB Postbus put the first five hydrogen buses into operation in Villach-Land. With the “DeCarB” – Decarbonising Carinthian Bus Transport project, the hydrogen model region is now being further expanded, which is an important milestone on the road to climate-neutral mobility. In May 2026, Postbus will launch the first hydrogen bus fleet for intercity transport in Carinthia. A total of 36 emission-free buses – 35 of them in regional transport and one in urban transport in Villach – will then cover around two million kilometres a year. This makes Carinthia the first federal state to opt for a hydrogen-powered bus fleet for regional transport.
Green hydrogen for emission-free bus transport
For the first time, the state of Carinthia and the company Kelag-Kärntner Elektrizitäts-Aktiengesellschaft are building a hydrogen electrolysis plant to produce green hydrogen from renewable energy for public transport.
In addition, the oxygen produced during electrolysis is utilised in a waste incineration plant, while the waste heat is fed into the district heating network. The project thus contributes to the decarbonisation of transport as well as to the energy and heating transition.
The hydrogen is produced exclusively using electricity from renewable energy sources. The electrolysis plant in Arnoldstein will produce up to 700 kilograms of green hydrogen per day, 60 per cent of which will be used to provide fuel for buses. A public filling station at the ÖBB Postbus site in Villach will provide clean mobility for a total annual mileage of around two million kilometres.