The first five NesoBus hydrogen buses from the Polsat Plus Group and ZE PAK have been delivered to Chełm. These modern and ultra-eco-friendly vehicles, powered by green hydrogen, have joined the fleet of Chełm City Bus Lines. In total, 26 such buses will be in service with the municipal company by the end of this year.
On 8 May this year, the NesoBuses were presented at a press conference in Kumowa Dolina in Chełm. The first green hydrogen-powered buses will hit the streets of Chełm in the coming days. Test drives are currently underway, allowing drivers to familiarise themselves with the operation of the vehicles. Further NesoBuses will be delivered to Chełm in June, and by autumn, Chełm City Bus Lines will have received all the ordered vehicles.
“We are transforming public transport in Chełm step by step. It is currently free of charge, and soon, thanks to the new fleet, it will also be very modern,” said Jakub Banaszek, Mayor of Chełm, during the press conference. “I would like to thank the representatives of PAK-PCE Polski Autobus Wodorowy for their cooperation, as there is nothing more important than a well-executed project,” he added.
Chełm is the latest city in Poland to invest in cutting-edge public transport solutions, aiming not only to improve comfort and convenience for its residents but also to protect their health. Green hydrogen is a clean, zero-emission fuel. Hydrogen-powered cars and buses emit only purified water vapour from their exhaust pipes. They produce no exhaust fumes or harmful substances – besides CO₂, this includes nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, especially fine PM 2.5 particles – and additionally help purify the air.
“We are here today to hand over the first five hydrogen buses, out of the 26 that will ultimately be delivered to Chełm. What pleases me most, as we supply buses to more and more cities, is that the forward-thinking approach of city authorities is helping us transition more rapidly to zero-emission, environmentally and resident-friendly transport,” said Maciej Nietopiel, President of the Management Board of PAK-PCE Polski Autobus Wodorowy, Polsat Plus Group, and Vice-President of the Management Board of ZE PAK, during the conference in Chełm.
The NesoBuses, which Chełm residents will be able to use in the coming days as part of the free public transport system, are manufactured by the Polish company PAK-PCE Polski Autobus Wodorowy, part of the Polsat Plus Group, at its own factory in Świdnik.
The hydrogen buses will be refuelled at a mobile, container-based station located on Chemiczna Street in Chełm. The hydrogen fuel is supplied by PAK-PCE from the Polsat Plus Group. The Group produces green hydrogen at its own electrolysis plant in Konin. The hydrogen meets international purity standards for fuel cells used in passenger cars, buses and delivery vehicles.
Polsat Plus Group is consistently implementing its 2023+ Strategy. Thanks to dynamic investments now nearing completion, the Group has become a leading producer of clean energy from wind, solar and biomass, and has built a complete value chain for the green hydrogen economy. Green hydrogen production has been launched in Konin using a 2.5 MW electrolyser. Publicly accessible NESO hydrogen refuelling stations have been opened in Warsaw, Rybnik, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Lublin and Wrocław. Ten hydrogen tankers are used for the transport and storage of hydrogen – nine with a capacity of 1,024 kg and one with a capacity of 371 kg. The hydrogen bus factory in Świdnik has so far produced and delivered a total of 40 NesoBuses: 20 for Rybnik, 10 for Gdańsk, 5 for Konin and 5 for Chełm, with a further 50 buses contracted or in production for various cities. Residents of many other cities – including Warsaw, Wrocław, Szczecin and Lublin – have also had the opportunity to test the buses.
