EMT Palma presents its first green hydrogen buses

News

The presentation took place in the Town Hall square in Palma (Mallorca, ES) and was attended by many high-level representatives, including Jose Hila, the Mayor of Palma; the President of the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands Francina Armengol; the Director General of the Spanish Government’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE) Joan Groizard; the CEO of Enagás Renovable, Antón Martínez; and the President of the Board of Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca and Director of Innovation at ACCIONA Energía, Belén Linares.

After the opening ceremony, attendees were able to try out the new vehicles on a tour from Plaça de Corts to the Consolat.

With these buses, EMT becomes the first customer of the green hydrogen plant in Lloseta, the first industrial renewable hydrogen plant in Spain, which is part of the Green Hysland project, led by Enagás Renovable.

This collaboration with the Palma City Council demonstrates the Government’s new commitment to collective, zero-emissions transport. We are continuing to build a city with better air quality for the benefit of all citizens, and we are doing so with a new fuel produced on the islands. The green hydrogen produced at the Lloseta plant will play an important role in the process of promoting the energy transition and we know that it will serve as an example to other islands.

Juan Pedro Yllanes, Vice-President of the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands

Sustainable mobility through innovation

The EMT’s new green hydrogen buses are another step towards Palma’s commitment to sustainable mobility and new fuels, making it the second Spanish city, after Barcelona, to have a fleet of vehicles powered by green hydrogen fuel cells.

In total, the EMT has acquired five 12-metre green hydrogen buses, which were put out to tender for 4,832,135 euros (VAT included). The vehicles were manufactured by the Solaris company in the Polish city of Poznan, and have a more user-friendly design, as well as integrating new braking systems.

The new bus model has been financed by the Government of the Balearic Islands through the Capital Law and is part of the European Green Hysland project, whose objective is to deploy the necessary infrastructure to build a renewable hydrogen ecosystem on the island of Mallorca, as well as to contribute to the environmental objectives set by the Government of the Balearic Islands on the islands.

The European Union, through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, has committed 10 million euros to the execution of this project, which has also received funding from the IDAE within the framework of the Moves Singular Projects programme.

Second phase of renewal of the EMT Palma fleet

These vehicles are the first hydrogen vehicles to be put into operation by the Solaris brand in Spain, and their main advantage is that they generate no emissions and are quieter, creating a much more user-friendly experience thanks to the interior traction system with a smoother ride. The new hydrogen buses also have a regenerative braking system that allows them to recover energy and the batteries can be charged at every brake and stop.

The new hydrogen buses are part of the second phase of the renovation of the EMT Palma fleet, which is gradually incorporating up to 65 new vehicles. Once this phase has been completed, EMT Palma will have renewed more than 90 percent of its fleet since 2015.

Pictures: City of Palma ©