Albi, June 7, 2022
Safra, the leading French manufacturer of hydrogen-powered buses, will be present at the EUMO (European Mobility Expo) trade show, which will be held in Paris at the Porte de Versailles from June 7 to 9. This major annual event, which brings together the various players in public transport every two years in Paris, is of course an opportunity for the company to showcase its historical know-how, but also and above all this year, to promote its latest creation: the Hycity®. The design of this new hydrogen bus will be officially presented at the Safra stand.
A new hydrogen bus in the catalog
The Hycity® will make its official debut at the opening of the European Mobility Expo on 7 June at 9am. Through various animations on its stand, the company will unveil the new lines of its hydrogen bus, and will also expose the technological advances that the Hycity® will benefit from through the feedback of its predecessor, the Businova®.
The Hycity®, a zero-emission, full-hydrogen vehicle, offers transport authorities the possibility of moving away from fossil fuels. The Hycity® benefits from a complete overhaul of its interior and exterior design and the latest technological advances. The 12-metre vehicle (the 18-metre version is planned for 2023) is available in 2 or 3-door tramway-type versions with a full flat floor.
In terms of technological advances, the Hycity® hydrogen chain includes a 2×125 kW motorized axle, a 45 kW Symbio fuel cell with a power output of less than 30 kW, which increases its lifespan, and a 130 kWh NMC battery, all of which is supplied with hydrogen thanks to six type 4 tanks that can store 35 kg of hydrogen on the roof. The battery is only used for peak power, the fuel cell working at a constant power level. The Hycity® full H2 therefore uses only hydrogen as traction energy, and recharges its battery autonomously, without any need for recharging infrastructure. The hydrogen line has been optimized by a significant reduction of its circuit in order to improve the vehicle’s TCO, and to guarantee the vehicle’s safety and maintainability.
This bus, which uses the latest technologies and has a sleek design, completes the catalog of solutions for low-carbon mobility offered by the company.
A new visual identity
A new logo will adorn the grilles of the hydrogen buses manufactured by the company. This new visual identity marks the company’s commitment, its evolution and its projection towards the future. It is a logo that anchors the company in its resolutely industrial universe.
Safra is also a company that has always placed environmental and societal values at the heart of its strategy. This same strategy is thus underlined through a new base line which underlines its commitment to the energy transition.
This new visual identity, which will be unveiled on June 7 at the EUMO trade show, sums up Safra perfectly: a strong company, anchored by its recognized experience and know-how, and whose entrepreneurial, forward-looking and visionary spirit resolutely directs its strategy towards the future.
A low-carbon mobility strategy
The European Mobility Expo is also an opportunity for Safra to highlight its carbon-free mobility strategy. In addition to the launch of the Hycity® design, a complete catalog of sustainable mobility solutions will be presented. SAFRA’s strategy is in line with environmental and social issues, through its different activities: the construction and marketing of hydrogen buses under the Hycity® brand, the retrofitting of coaches with hydrogen, the renovation and heavy maintenance of passenger transport vehicles, as well as customer service.
The company’s historical activity, the renovation of passenger transport equipment, is the foundation of its skills and expertise. This activity enables us to extend the life of all types of passenger transport vehicles: buses, metros, streetcars, funiculars and trains.
The manufacturer activity brings together a multidisciplinary team to design, manufacture and market hydrogen-powered electric buses. Under the Businova® brand, our vehicles are already in service in many French cities that have chosen to transform their fleet into a zero-emission vehicle. The catalog is completed this year by the brand new hydrogen bus proposed by Safra: the Hycity®.
Convinced for a long time that hydrogen technology offers a solution that is perfectly adapted to the use of heavy transport, heavy mobility and therefore public transport, Safra has also developed an industrial offer for retrofitting diesel coaches into hydrogen coaches so that this interurban use can also benefit from decarbonized and adapted solutions, allowing transport organizing authorities to rapidly benefit from zero-emission vehicles that can be recharged in a few minutes.
Finally, Safra has completed this offer of low-carbon mobility solutions with a service activity, which enables it to offer maintenance services for the operational condition of its hydrogen fleet.
About Safra
Safra, a French company founded in 1955, is a historic player in the renovation of passenger transport equipment and a pioneer in hydrogen mobility. The company’s strategy is based on environmental, societal and sovereignty issues, in order to become the leading gas pedal of the energy transition through the sustainable decarbonization of public transport in Europe.
Safra is the leading manufacturer of hydrogen buses in France, with a 60% market share by the end of 2021, and a forerunner in retrofitting diesel buses to hydrogen, with the largest order in Europe.
Safra offers solutions that perfectly meet the needs of transport authorities for mobility towards decarbonization of their fleet: construction and marketing of hydrogen buses, retrofitting of coaches with hydrogen, renovation and heavy maintenance of passenger transport vehicles, as well as customer service.
The company is located in Albi, France, on an 8.5-hectare site, with more than 11,000 m² of covered buildings, and currently employs more than 200 people.