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The hydrogen expansion in Weimar is funded by multiple state and federal bodies in Thuringia and Germany

Weimar is ready to roll out hydrogen buses as soon as next year

Weimar is ready to roll out hydrogen buses as soon as next year

Local authorities have said that as much as 30 buses could be on the streets of the city by next year

Yesterday, the City of Weimar in Germany announced their new project for sustainable mobility. It includes the construction of a green hydrogen filling station and buses that can hit the local streets as soon as next year.

The project is financed by the state government of Thuringia, with Environment Minister Anja Siegesmund personally handing local authorities the funding decision, granting them 3 million euros.

It takes a village to raise a child

Weimar authorities have decided to finance their push towards introducing hydrogen buses by casting a wide net for government funding. For instance, the electrolysis filling station will be funded to the tune of 1.25 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport.

At the same time, the Thuringian Ministry of Energy will fund the purchase of 30 buses, which will transform Weimar into a showcase early adopter of hydrogen driven mobility.

Furthermore, Bauhaus University will also chip in by providing scientific support in the operation of the new system. In fact, the local electric car charging station expansion has been based on traffic flow planning done by the University since 2017.

Hydrogen – a local path towards energy autonomy

The project also plans to entangle local transport and municipal utilities to create an energy-efficient network, based on that hydrogen infrastructure. Mayor Peter Kleine was quoted in a press release, saying: “Hydrogen can be used not only for clean mobility but also for an efficient supply of electricity and heat and as a basis for alternative fuels or as a process gas in industry. Given the current challenges in the energy sector, it is good if we actively promote new technologies.”

Stefan Reindl, a spokesman of TEAG, the Thuringian energy company, said that hydrogen can be used for much more than a fuel source for sustainable mobility. He explained that it can also power homes or fuel industrial capacities, which represents a way for local demand to break away from Russian import reliance.

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