The bus manufacturer SAFRA has just won a tender initiated by the Communauté de l’Auxerrois for the supply of 5 standard fuel cell buses. The contract signed with the Communauté de l’Auxerrois includes the supply of vehicles as well as complete maintenance. This contract confirms SAFRA’s position as a manufacturer of clean buses in Europe, and more particularly as a manufacturer of hydrogen buses in a market with strong growth prospects.
The contract won by SAFRA comes from a public tender launched by the Communauté de l’Auxerrois, for the delivery of 5 hydrogen buses, by the end of 2020. These buses will be operated on line 1 of the LEO network, representing a mileage of approximately 200,000 km per year. The 5 Businova buses will be refueled at the future hydrogen station, which will be installed in Auxerre. With these 5 H2 buses, the Communauté de l’Auxerrois intends to become one of the first French bus lines to be operated exclusively with hydrogen buses.
The hydrogen Businova is the perfect answer to the needs of the networks, carrying 30kg of hydrogen to cover an autonomy of more than 350 km. This type of vehicle is already in operation on the TADAO network, in the Artois-Gohelle agglomeration, which has 6 vehicles. The Businova H2’s electric drive train is identical to the entire range of vehicles already on offer and the hydrogen Businova has a 132 kWh battery and a 30 kW SYMBIO fuel cell. The architecture of the hydrogen Businova provides great flexibility of use while minimizing operating and maintenance costs.
This new contract awarded to SAFRA follows the last contracts won by SAFRA in the Artois-Gohelle (SMTAG), Versailles (BE GREEN), Le Mans (SETRAM) and Toulouse airport (HYPORT) agglomerations. This confirms the attractiveness of the Businova H2 and its competitiveness in this growing and promising hydrogen market.
In order to meet the availability requirements and to ensure complete and efficient maintenance, SAFRA has formed a partnership with a local company: HAMEL PL (Berthier group). This important professional in the maintenance of trucks, buses and coaches, has a strong experience in electromobility.
The current situation for SAFRA Constructeur is the increase in the rate of production, and a constantly growing order book (already 22 Businova H2 ordered and several Businova Electrics. The Businova has also just been referenced at the UGAP in its electric version.