Wrightbus expands European footprint with hydrogen bus delivery to Germany

Wrightbus Kite Hydroliner single-deck hydrogen-powered bus

Wrightbus, the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles, has continued its expansion across mainland Europe with the delivery of 12 new hydrogen-powered buses to German public transport operator WestVerkehr GmbH.

The latest shipment of Kite Hydroliner single-deck buses brings the total number of Wrightbus hydrogen vehicles in operation in Germany to 43, with that figure expected to rise to around 130 by the end of 2025.

The newly delivered buses will operate in North Rhine-Westphalia, specifically serving routes between Heinsberg, Hückelhoven and Erkelenz. WestVerkehr GmbH, headquartered in Germany’s westernmost district on the Dutch border, officially commissioned the fleet this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Managing Director Udo Winkens.

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer of Wrightbus, welcomed the milestone as a sign of strengthening ties between the company and its European partners.

“We are delighted that WestVerkehr is bringing our zero-emission hydrogen buses onto the roads of North Rhine-Westphalia. This benefits the environment and ensures that people in the region breathe better air,” said Mr Gales.

“What means just as much to us is the excellent partnership and cooperation with WestVerkehr. I would like to sincerely thank Managing Director Udo Winkens and his team.

“I also want to acknowledge our own excellent engineers and designers in Northern Ireland, the production teams, product development and the sales and service teams. We can all be very proud of the Kite Hydroliner.”

WestVerkehr Managing Director Udo Winkens (right) and Wrightbus Managing Director Europe Buses Erhan Eren (left) celebrating the official handover of the Kite Hydroliner.

WestVerkehr Managing Director Udo Winkens emphasised the company’s commitment to innovation and sustainability in public transport.

“By participating in this project, WestVerkehr is underlining its commitment to environmentally friendly, future-oriented mobility. Together with the partners of the H2HS consortium, we are actively driving forward the transformation of local public transport – innovative, emission-free and close to the people.”

District Administrator Stephan Pusch echoed the sentiment, stressing the importance of action over rhetoric in the energy transition.

“The whole world is talking about the energy transition. But we don’t talk about it, we do it. Hydrogen-powered public transport is an important building block in our efforts to act as a globally sustainable municipality.”

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs has supported WestVerkehr’s hydrogen fleet initiative with €3.4 million in funding. State Secretary Hartmut Höppner praised the environmental and societal benefits of the investment.

“The purchase of hydrogen buses offers real added value: they are quieter, more environmentally and climate-friendly and thus contribute to a higher quality of life and environment for people in our cities and villages,” he said. “As BMDV, we are happy to support WestVerkehr GmbH’s initiative to switch to alternative drive systems. This is good news for the citizens of the region as well as for climate and environmental protection.”

Wrightbus first entered the European market in 2024 and has quickly gained traction across the continent. There are now 31 Kite Hydroliners in operation with Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK), with a further eight due by the end of 2025. Additional deliveries are planned for Saarbahn GmbH (28 buses), Cottbusverkehr GmbH and Spree-Neiße-Cottbusverkehr GmbH (46 buses), and Vestische Straßenbahnen GmbH (5 buses).

To support its growing European customer base, Wrightbus has established a new service centre in Brühl, near Cologne.

Operating under the AllServiceOne brand, the facility offers maintenance and servicing for a wide range of bus models, including those from other manufacturers and with varying drive types. The site also features a dedicated spare parts warehouse and marks the first stage in developing a comprehensive service network across the continent, mirroring the company’s UK infrastructure.

The Kite Hydroliner FCEV is designed for long-distance service, boasting a range of up to 1,000 kilometres and a refuelling time of under 10 minutes. Each single-deck bus can accommodate up to 90 passengers and meets the rigorous safety and operational standards of the VDV (Association of German Transport Companies) and the European General Safety Regulation (GSR2).

The latest deployment in Germany underscores Wrightbus’s growing influence in the European clean transport sector and its ongoing commitment to delivering cutting-edge, zero-emission solutions at scale.