JIVE projects CEE hydrogen bus roadshow moves on to third run

This time around the host city is Romania.

Romania has been selected to host the third Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) hydrogen bus roadshow this spring, starting from May. The roadshow is part of JIVE projects, with support and funding from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (formerly the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking – FCH 2 JU).

JIVE projects to bring hundreds of fuel cell buses to Europe.

The Joint Initiative for hydrogen Vehicles across Europe (JIVE) project seeks to deploy 131 new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses and the necessary refueling infrastructure across four countries.

The initiative is co-funded by a €32 million grant from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under the European Union Horizon 2020 framework program for research and innovation.

JIVE began in January 2017 and will run for seven and a half years. It is the first of two projects, with the JIVE2 project kicking off a year later (January 2018). Together, the JIVE projects plan to deploy almost 300 hydrogen buses in 16 cities across Europe by early 2020s, making it the largest hydrogen bus deployment in the continent to date.

Showing off hydrogen bus power in Romania.

A hydrogen bus is currently available for testing and demonstration purposes in Romania, including two of its cities, Cluj-Napoca and Galati. Dedicated events will take place in Cluj-Napoca on May 9^th and in Galati on May 13^th. The goal of the events is to address the various barriers H2 buses currently face in Romania and try to find solutions. Representatives from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, ERM and Hydrogen Europe, as well as representatives from Romanian central and local authorities, experts, and energy associates will be attending the events.

 

According to Cristina Păun and Andreea Gheorghe, national coordinators of the project, “The involvement of Romania and, especially, of the two cities – Cluj-Napoca and Galati – in the 2024 Roadshow is not arbitrary.”  Both cities have shown an interest in green tech to clean up the environment and have been open about their desire to expand bus fleets with hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Does the roadshow have any impact?

Apparently, yes. During the first JIVE project CEE roadshow, the hydrogen bus traveled across Slovenia, Croatia, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary covering 1,641 kilometers (1019.6 miles). During the second, it crossed 1,450 kilometers (900.0 miles), traveling though Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. These previous initiatives showed there was a significant impact on local demand. Nearly all cities that took part in the initiative have announced a formal interest in deploying H2 buses following the roadshows.

During its third run, the hydrogen bus will travel across Romania, Greece, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Bulgaria and be showcased in nine cities.

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