It could only have been the son of a bus driver, today become Mayor of London, to inaugurate the first hydrogen bus in the English capital. It was indeed Sadiq Khan who brought the famous red double-decker to zero emissions, onto London's streets.

It was produced by Northern Irish company Wrightbus, which specialises in manufacturing buses and red double-deckers. The company says it is ready to supply the entire technology, including the fuel cell system and the battery pack. The production line is expected to be up and running within the coming year.

British technology

The bus will feature an electric motor designed to allow a flat floor throughout the length of the vehicle, a zero-emission heating and cooling system, and the ability to recharge the batteries overnight. "The key to the success of this project," the company writes in a press release, "are the lighter hydrogen storage tanks, and the automatic battery management system that continuously monitors and balances the stored power while the vehicle is in service."

"Wrightbus is a company where innovation and technology are at the heart of everything we do, and we have pioneered the practical development of technology for clean vehicles over many years," explained William Wright CBE, co-founder and director of Wright Group. "This vehicle adds to the recent StreetAir EV and brings an exciting new dimension to zero-emission transport and a responsible choice to help address the world's environmental challenges."

London's plan to reduce pollution

This initiative is part of the broader programme of reducing traffic pollutants by the London administration. Mayor Khan is working together with the administrations of other major cities to gradually phase out diesel-powered buses and instead develop a zero-emission public transport network. London, along with Madrid, Paris and Mexico City, will ban old diesel buses by 2020. What is more, with the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone from 2020, Londoners will no longer be able to enter what is currently the area where the Congestion Charge applies, unless they are driving Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol vehicles. The zone will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.

Not just hydrogen buses

Already on the city's streets are the new and redesigned low-impact red Roadmasters with modern lines, which are gradually replacing the old double-deckers. The previous administration had already begun renewing the fleet: the new buses are diesel-electric hybrids, with start&stop technology — in every respect similar to the hybrids already in circulation today. The clampdown on polluting vehicles is growing ever tighter, in order to reduce smog and the 9,400 premature deaths caused by polluted air.