Ballard Power Systems Strengthens Hydrogen Bus Footprint with New Supply Deals, Amid Market Opportunities and Challenges

Ballard Power Systems has signed new fuel cell supply agreements with UK-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus and Polish firm Solaris Bus & Coach, aiming to capitalize on market opportunities driven by the financing of hydrogen bus fleets.

Over the past week, Ballard’s FCmoveSC fuel cells have been selected as the power system for the next-generation public transport vehicles of these two European manufacturers. The fuel cells will be deployed in the following models respectively:

· Wrightbus’ latest Hydroliner StreetDeck double-decker bus

· Solaris’ second-generation fuel cell electric buses (FCEVs)

The FC move SC fuel cell boasts an output power of 75kW and a designed service life of over 25,000 hours. Wrightbus expects to start production of its new model in 2027, while Solaris has not yet released a specific timeline. As both companies plan to expand their hydrogen bus fleets in Europe, this collaboration further boosts the market momentum of the Canadian firm. Ballard reported revenue of USD 19.4 million in the first quarter of this year, representing a 26% year-on-year growth.

Recently, during an investor conference call, Marty Neese, CEO of Ballard, stated that product deliveries to the bus and rail transit markets have driven the company’s revenue growth compared to 2025. “Every new bus we deploy creates long-term service opportunities,” he added. “The expanding fleet size provides years of business growth potential for operation, maintenance, and training services.”

In March this year, Ballard also confirmed that it would supply 500 FCmoveHD fuel cell systems under an agreement with New Flyer, a Canadian bus manufacturer. Meanwhile, Solaris recently won a tender for a project involving 19 fuel cell buses in Krefeld, Germany, with operations scheduled to start in 2027. Additionally, in 2025, Solaris delivered the first 37 units out of 137 hydrogen-powered buses to Bologna and Ferrara, Italy.

However, in February this year, 25 Wrightbus Hydroliner fuel cell buses operated by First Bus were taken out of service in Aberdeen. The shutdown was caused by long delays in the maintenance of local hydrogen refueling equipment, which left the vehicles unable to operate normally for nearly two years.

Proponents argue that hydrogen buses offer advantages such as longer range and shorter refueling times. Critics, however, point out that there are fundamental issues with the application of hydrogen in transportation, primarily due to energy losses during the process of converting electricity to hydrogen and then back to electricity.