The world first double-decker hydrogen bus hit Aberdeen roads

First Aberdeen, the main bus company operator in Aberdeen, Scotland, has officially launched the world’s first hydrogen double-decker buses and added 15 brand new hydrogen buses into its fleet. These buses are emission-free and have other characteristics that differentiate them from conventional buses such as a smoother ride and little noise.

These 60-seat buses are expected to help the company better understand its future direction towards zero-emission as it plans to make all its UK buses emission-free by 2035.

The hydrogen bus received a funding of around £500,000 (US$ 682,400) per bus, supported by Aberdeen City Council, European Union Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking ( (FCH JU) ), and the Scottish Government.

Wrightbus, a Northern Ireland based bus manufacturer, made these buses. These buses are more efficient than electric buses and can be refuelled with 25 kg of hydrogen within 10 minutes, which offers 250 miles.

By the look, hydrogen vehicles may be looking similar to any other vehicles, but these buses’ anatomy is quite different if we look under the hood. Of course, fuel is the first thing which differentiates hydrogen buses from others.

One important factor which needs to be taken care of is the temperature. When hydrogen buses are not in service, they have to be plugged into power to maintain temperature. Given that instead of emission, it releases water as a by-product, so the buses need to maintain their temperature above 5°C to ensure that water does not freeze in pipes and cause damage.