Exclusive: Poland’s hydrogen buses confront prohibitive fuel costs, new report claims

Poland’s ambitious propulsion to physique a hydrogen-powered nationalist transport strategy is faltering, with respective buses halted by soaring substance costs and fragile infrastructure, according to a new report by the NGO Central and Eastern Europe Bankwatch Network.

Polish municipalities embraced hydrogen buses mostly due to the fact that subsidy schemes covered up to 100% of conveyance acquisition costs, portion electrical buses typically received lone 60–80% support, according to the report. But erstwhile hydrogen buses entered service, operators discovered the substance was dramatically much costly than electricity.

The investigation argues that hydrogen buses were promoted arsenic a shortcut to greenish transport, backed by generous EU and authorities funding, but galore municipalities are present retreating toward battery-electric alternatives aft confronting prohibitive substance costs and the deficiency of refueling stations.

Cities similar Rybnik reported that hydrogen fleets were much than 3 times arsenic costly arsenic diesel and 4 times arsenic costly arsenic hybrids. In Rzeszów, substance costs implicit 15 years were projected to transcend the acquisition terms of the buses themselves, the CEE Bankwatch Network study states.

By the extremity of April, Poland had 247 hydrogen buses successful total, either deployed oregon contracted by municipalities. 140 buses are already successful service, portion 107 person been contracted but not yet deployed.

Despite precocious hydrogen ambitions, Poland had lone 9 hydrogen refueling stations by the extremity of 2025 against the 32 envisaged by the government's 2021 hydrogen strategy. In comparison, the state boasts much than 12,500 electrical charging stations by aboriginal 2026.

Questioning 'zero-emission' buses

Under EU rules to marque nationalist buses cleaner and little polluting, each EU state indispensable guarantee that immoderate of the buses they bargain for nationalist transport usage cleaner vigor alternatively than accepted diesel.

This means that erstwhile cities oregon transport authorities acquisition caller buses, a definite fig indispensable tally connected cleaner technologies specified arsenic electrical batteries oregon hydrogen, oregon usage lower-carbon fuels similar biofuels.

EU officials touted hydrogen arsenic a flagship exertion susceptible of decarbonising transport portion supporting a home hydrogen economy. But the technology’s precocious substance costs, constricted renewable hydrogen proviso and immature infrastructure exposed deep structural weaknesses, astatine slightest successful Poland.

The study besides raises concerns astir whether buses powered by non-renewable hydrogen should number arsenic "green" nationalist transportation, fixed that implicit 97% of the substance is produced from fossil gas. The NGO argues that hydrogen buses are labeled “zero-emission” lone due to the fact that they emit nary tailpipe exhaust, portion ignoring emissions associated with their fossil substance generation.

"Polish hydrogen buses were wide presented arsenic cleanable and zero-emission, but successful signifier the substance was mostly fossil-derived and adjacent the constricted electrolytic hydrogen did not conscionable strict EU renewable standards," reads the study, referring to Poland's usage of biomass-generated electricity, which the study argues that it does not suffice arsenic "green energy".

Battery-electric buses, by contrast, precocious rapidly successful range, charging infrastructure and economics during the aforesaid period, the study argues.

Poland’s energy assemblage is rapidly shifting from ember to renewables similar upwind and solar. According to the vigor deliberation vessel Ember, renewables make astir 30% of electricity, though ember inactive accounts for astir fractional of the country's energy production.

Cities including Wrocław, Płock and Żory revised procurement plans aft concluding electrical vehicles offered little hazard and little costs, the study claims. Kraków besides scaled backmost its hydrogen ambitions owed to uncertainty implicit substance proviso and infrastructure.

Polish automakers Solaris Bus & Coach and NesoBus person deployed galore hydrogen and electrical vehicles successful cities specified arsenic Poznań, Konin, Lublin and Wałbrzych.

Dodgy funding

Despite the challenges, the Polish authorities received connected 23 April a caller batch of EU funds amounting to €7.2 billion, of which €500 cardinal is intended to unlock hydrogen investments, peculiarly to boost backstage assemblage maturation successful renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production, according to the European Commission.

With EU grants, Warsaw is considering deploying much than 1,000 electrical oregon hydrogen buses and trolleybuses to accelerate the displacement to cleanable nationalist transport. Questions stay whether the authorities volition prioritise electrical oregon hydrogen buses.

The Polish authorities didn't respond successful clip to a petition for work from Euronews.

The CEE Bankwatch Network claims projects involving the procurement of hydrogen buses oregon the improvement of hydrogen refuelling stations person received much than €120.7 cardinal successful non-repayable grants and astir €6.08 cardinal successful loans, backing the deployment of 163 buses and 2 stations.

On apical of that, 73 fuel-cell electrical buses and 1 refueling presumption were funded done projects that besides included battery-electric buses, charging infrastructure and different investments, which the NGO claims marque it intolerable to find the precise stock of backing allocated specifically to hydrogen-related components.

"Hundreds of millions of euros from EU nationalist funds spent to artificially make request for hydrogen successful Polish nationalist transport could and should person been utilized to deploy real, try-and-tested solutions which already connection benefits to section communities and the climate," said the report's author, Diana Maciaga.

Germany's palmy hydrogen story

Contrary to Poland, Germany emerges arsenic a hydrogen occurrence story, presently operating implicit 600 hydrogen-powered nationalist transport buses. The state volition soon person an further 19 hydrogen buses, aft the Polish Solaris Bus & Coach won a tender connected 4 May.

Solaris has delivered implicit 800 hydrogen buses serving passengers successful dozens of cities crossed Europe, with Germany starring the market. France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands person besides deployed a sizeable fig of hydrogen buses implicit the past years.

Laurent Donceel, manager for transport, sustainability, and concern argumentation astatine the commercialized assemblage Hydrogen Europe, said that Poland's early-stage struggles to unafraid a cleanable hydrogen proviso are "completely normal" fixed that the state is conscionable getting started successful a nascent industry.

The manufacture radical recognises Poland arsenic the "leading EU state successful substance autobus production" adding that the imaginable of each clean-tech transport solutions should beryllium explored, fixed Warsaw's important relation successful roadworthy transport for the country's economy.

"With due incentives and regulatory enactment astatine the EU and nationalist level, it volition not instrumentality overmuch clip for it to drawback up to countries similar Germany. It's besides worthy noting that with Poland's existent coal-heavy vigor mix, cleanable hydrogen remains the champion decarbonisation option," Donceel told Euronews.