Rampini launches the first H2 fuel cell bus and two mini electric buses.

Rampini, an Italian bus manufacturer, has just unveiled the first hydrogen fuel cell bus made wholly in Italy. In addition, the Italian firm is introducing two new battery-electric variants.

Rampini's hydrogen fuel cell bus Hydron is eight meters long and can transport up to 48 passengers over 450 kilometers. The hydrogen tanks can hold up to 10.8 kilograms of H2, corresponding to a consumption of 2.4 kilograms per 100 kilometers.

Rampini specializes in smaller buses, and the Hydron fuel cell bus is significantly smaller than normal twelve-meter solo buses. At the same time, the business unveiled two new zero-emission bus models: the Sixtron, a six-metre electric bus designed to address the transportation demands of Italy's minor historic centers, and the Eltron, an extension of the E80, Rampini's first electric bus.

The fuel cell itself produces just 30 kW, but the drive unit fitted in the back axle produces up to 230 kW. The Hydron bus has a 2.20-metre wide body and two or three doors, as well as a space for those with limited mobility. According to the manufacturer, the research and development work on this model took ten years.

The Eltron features the same main specifications as the Hydron, including a length of eight meters, a width of 2.20 meters, a seating capacity of up to 48 passengers, and a two- or three-door body. While the business has given the range as roughly 300 km, it has not yet revealed any other technical data. Eltron has been sold in Italy and many European nations since 2010 and is regularly updated to satisfy the needs of consumers. The Eltron offers unique technical features such as a compact width, three doors, and a range of more than 300 kilometers - an exceptional achievement for a vehicle of its size.

The six-metre-long Sixtron is designed to transport 31 passengers for up to 250 kilometers. Sixtron is a 6-metre city bus with a low platform and accessible seating. It can carry up to 250 passengers and has superb mobility and a range of around 31 kilometers, allowing it to operate continuously all day in urban settings. Sixtron is already in use on the island of Procida, which is this year's European Capital of Culture. Again, more technical information should be available when it makes its debut at the Next Mobility Exhibition in Milan from October 12 to 14, 2022.

According to the Italian bus manufacturer, both the Sixtron and Eltron electric buses can be outfitted with pantographs that allow charging by connecting to the catenaries of existing tram lines.

"A few years ago, we took a precise and, at the time, counter-cultural decision: we would never longer produce diesel buses," stated Fabio Magnoni, general manager of Rampini S.p.A. "In fact, being sustainable is not just a competitive factor, but it is a method to exist in the market and look with confidence to the future of an industrial production, which we also contributed to being acknowledged throughout Europe."

Rampini was tasked with delivering seven electric buses for Austria's public transportation network in 2017. The 12-meter buses were introduced on the 4A Line in 2018. In 2019, Rampini and CaetanoBus decided to feature each other's models in their respective product lines.