HeiterBlick GmbH from Leipzig is developing a unique innovation together with Chemnitz companies Hörmann Vehicle Engineering and Flexiva Automation & Robotik: Europe’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered tram.
The project was recently launched with the approval of the funding award by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). The project is being funded by the BMVI under the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP 2) in an amount totalling 2.1 million euros. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (Projektträger Jülich (PtJ)).
The prototype of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered tram will be presented in the coming four years. The new type of drive makes new route connections feasible for urban tram operators – in places where ecological, urban planning or traffic factors make installation of overhead lines very difficult or impossible. Therefore new urban neighbourhoods and suburbs can be accessed much more easily.