The Joint Initiative for hydrogen Vehicles across Europe (JIVE 1)  has officially finished deploying 131 hydrogen fuel cell buses throughout Europe. This means that the company has completed their initial operations.

Environmental Resources Management (ERM) coordinated the project and JIVE 1 supported the advancement of sustainable transport within a variety of countries. This included Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and finally, the UK.

JIVE 1 began its operations in 2018 and so far they have been able to achieve their target price of 650,000 euros for a standard 12m bus. The company accomplished this, whilst simultaneously demonstrating a consistent range of up to 500km. Furthermore, the company was able to surpass their original targets for fuel consumption, as these were originally 6.5kg/100km.

To support the JIVE projects, the EU’s Clean Hydrogen Partnership co-funded the company’s work. Within this funding, the company received a 32m euro grant from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), under the European Union Horizon 2020 framework.

The next steps around this project, involve the sister project JIVE 2, which will now continue the initiative, allowing it to run until June 2025. Throughout doing this, JIVE 2 will address various challenges, such as the reliability of hydrogen supplies and refuelling stations. These are crucial elements of the project, as these remain critical for future commercial operations.

Head of Unit Operations and Communication, Mirela Atanasiu, commented, “JIVE has paved the way for further adoption of fuel cell buses in other European cities and serves as a successful example of the EU’s leadership in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.”

Partner at ERM, Michael Dolman, added, “Many lessons have been learnt that are highly relevant for public transport authorities, operators and others with an interest in hydrogen in mobility applications.”