ARTHUR BUS H2 Zero - a new hydrogen-powered bus – joint project - Research & Development

ARTHUR BUS H2 Zero - a new hydrogen-powered bus – joint project

Last summer, we established cooperation with a German-Polish company ARTHUR BUS. The result of our cooperation is a new 12-metre hydrogen bus called ARTHUR H2 Zero, designed and manufactured in a record time of only 12 months.

We have been operating in the industry for nearly 40 years. The company has been successfully growing and competing in the market year on year. I can already say that thanks to hard work our R&D Department became a global provider of services related to the full-vehicle integration. We are almost on every continent and provide our services ‘everywhere’.

The growth we observe is the proof of our efficiency. Customers striving for excellence in their prototype and series production vehicles value our professionalism and the way we run our internal processes to gain their recognition. Examples include companies such as Arthurbus, Eurabus and Karsan. Cooperation with these companies does not end with a single project, but we are entrusted with the further ones. References issued by such major-league companies motivate us for further action and continuous development of competence.

“We are not slowing down and the portfolio of our satisfied customers is still growing”.

Michał Sitek – HQ Managing Director, Chief of R&D Dept./ OEM Support in Drabpol

” The number of Drabpol engineers is constantly increasing. Also the portfolio of our products and services is successively expanding. A milestone in the development of the full-vehicle integration is the market introduction of PI Innovo controllers, which meet the requirements of even the most demanding customers. We place a huge emphasis on implementing the Functional Safety procedures (ISO26262) and keeping up with changes in Automotive, such as the General Safety Regulations. These are our key points for this year.

Using Dana OpenECU platform for software development we are a reliable, quick in action and effective partner.

Drabpol has big ambitions to come into existence on every market. It is worth mentioning that, over the last six months, we have managed to finalise some very interesting projects. We have remotely launched, on three different continents, six different M3 class vehicles, equipped with different powertrain systems and having various purposes. Moreover, we have successfully introduced the IC Infotainment for one of the world leaders in the agricultural tractor industry.

We feel dynamics of the automotive market. We still develop and introduce new systems, which – among other things – allow for the remote diagnostics and parametrisation of all devices included in the vehicle topology. Such software solutions allow one not only to read parameters or log the component behaviour in various formats, but also to upload of a set of parameters and firmware changes, provided that the device manufacturer has predicted such a possibility.

We warmly invite you to cooperate with us.

It is worth betting on Drabpol – a partner providing stability, flexibility and predictability. ”

Cooperation with ARTHUR BUS

The vehicle manufacturer has started to operate on the European market only recently, thus the short time in which the new bus was developed should be considered a great success. ARTHUR BUS was founded in early 2021 by Mr. Gerhard Mey and Mr. Philipp Glonner. The company currently employs over 45 engineers. Its headquarters is located in Planegg near Munich, while other branch offices are located in Poland – in Lublin and Wrocław.

From the very beginning, ARTHUR BUS has set a very ambitious and clearly defined goal – to design, build and obtain a whole vehicle type-approval for a modern hydrogen-powered city bus, in just 12 months. However, ARTHUR BUS does not focuse solely on the delivery of a product – a bus- but the entire ecosystem with refuelling infrastructure, fleet management software, telemetry and developing innovative solutions.

In August 2021, the German-Polish manufacturer invited us to take part in the project to develop the above-mentioned 12-metre hydrogen bus. From the beginning, the project was expected to be completed within 12 months, starting in May 2021. Our work involved the supply of components and support in the development and implementation of software solutions, based on the KIBES-5 system, including comprehensive training of the ARTHUR BUS engineering team. Despite a very busy schedule and a short time for the project implementation, engineers from our Research & Development Department decided to take on the challenge. They smoothly developed and implemented the KIBES-5 multiplex system, both in terms of electricity and programming. Our engineers also performed integration of the system with other components and software provided by other suppliers.

These services required close cooperation between the technical department of the vehicle manufacturer and our R&D Department. Thanks to the very effective two-way communication characterised by a high technical level, all agreed deadlines were met. Persistence and full commitment of both teams allowed for the vehicle track tests, held in the presence of the representatives of approval authority, as early as March 2022.

One of the most noticeable on-board equipment is the FAP+ driver’s workplace, with the state-of-the-art 12-inch MultiViu Professional display. Our team of engineers was responsible for the implementation of the design developed by the Customer. ARTHUR H2 Zero is equipped with DTCO 4.0 smart tachograph, tire pressure and temperature monitoring system (CPC Continental), Alcolock V3 alcohol ignition interlock, UDS ATpro accident data recorder (black box), WM-526 electronic throttle control (electronic floor pedal) by Curtiss – Wright and CAN radio by Continental.

Right after the trade fair the vehicle went on road tests and approval tests, which were successful. Thus, ARTHUR BUS received the full-vehicle approval yet in June.

In the weeks that followed, ARTHUR BUS did not slow down for a moment, and as early as from 27 June to 6 July, the H2 ZERO model took part in the pre-premiere tests of a hydrogen refuelling station ready for LOHC liquid hydrogen storage, located in Bavaria, which was established by several leading German companies. The aim of tests was to confirm the efficiency and capacity of the built infrastructure. At the beginning of July 2022, the new vehicle was used as a shuttle bus, hosting on-board the representatives of the German Government with the President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. During tests in Bavaria, the ARTHUR BUS H2 Zero hydrogen bus travelled more than 600km on a single refill. (For testing purposes, the tanks were filled up to 80% – re-fuelling took place from 20% of the initial state).

The new hydrogen ARTHUR BUS will be certainly used, both in the small towns and in large cities ensuring zero-emission, quiet, cost-effective and modern transport. The mission of the ARTHUR group is to help the society reduce CO2 emission, but without sacrificing the comfort, quality and efficiency of the passenger transport.

We congratulate ARTHUR BUS on the H2 Zero hydrogen bus and thank its team for the cooperation on this ambitious and highly successful project.

We asked representatives of ARTHUR BUS Sp. z o.o. about the beginning of cooperation and work on the project of the new ARTHUR H2 Zero hydrogen bus. – Mr. Rafał Słomka – Representative of the Board and Technical Director, and Mr.Damian Dobrzański – Design Manager, Electrical Engineer.

An interview with Mr. Rafał Słomka – Representative of the Board and Technical Director of ARTHUR BUS Sp. z o.o.

DN: What challenges did your bus project have to face and why the target was 12 months?

RS: At the beginning of the project we had to face various challenges, but one of the biggest was to overcome the barriers placed on start-ups by the largest suppliers. During the pandemic, the manufacturer market prevailed. We repeatedly crashed into the wall, which was our authentication as a company capable of designing and building a modern city bus in a 12-month period, which seemed to be an abstraction for most suppliers. Another challenge was the right selection, implementation and optimisation of the main vehicle components, among others the power train system, with the main objective (since the earliest project phases) to obtain the maximum efficiency and a holistic view on the issues connected with the vehicle energy management. ARTHUR BUS motto is customer orientation and a short response time to market needs. We believe that, as a young and dynamically operating international company, we are obliged to implement projects at least one ‘step’ ahead of large corporations.

DN: How would you rate cooperation with Drabpol in such unusual conditions?

RS: Looking from the perspective of time and first meetings with various suppliers, it was not easy because there were many risks related to the joint implementation of the project in such a short time – we were aware of that fact from the start. Cooperation with DRABPOL means working with a team of involved professionals for whom there was no such situation as not answering a phone call or leaving an email without a response – even outside working hours. It is thanks to our common persistence and determination in reaching the set goals that we managed to implement the project and build great business relationships, which we will use while meeting further challenges posed by the market. Drabpol definitely is not just a supplier to us, but a Partner with whom cooperation was exemplary.

An interview with Mr. Damian Dobrzański – Design Manager, Electrical Engineer – ARTHUR BUS Sp. z o.o.

DN: What was the biggest obstacle you had to face in designing and building the new bus in such a short time?

DD: Project assumptions and completion time have been already defined during the pandemic, therefore we tried to reduce the risks at the design stage, choosing cooperation with the most reliable partners.

Delivery time, the possibility of adjustment to customers’ needs and the quality of products from companies such as Continental, confirmed by years of use, had a huge impact on the final decision concerning the vehicle ecosystem.

DN: What’s your opinion on Drabpol’s Research and Development Department?

DD: The implementation of such a large-scale project, which is a hydrogen bus, in such a short time, required some changes to the initial concept. Due to the delays in the deliveries of certain equipment, we immediately had to change software of both the KIBES5 system and MVP display. Thanks to excellent communication, fully professional approach of Drabpol’s R&D engineers and direct project supervision by Mr. Michał Sitek, software corrections were applied immediately, regardless of the time of day or day of the week. Professional approach, full commitment and flexibility during this complex project significantly contributed to the success of the hydrogen bus of our make, ARTHUR BUS H2 Zero, a wholly operational bus with a full-vehicle approval.

I believe that this project became a very good base for our further fruitful cooperation.

...Z DOŚWIADCZENIA PEWNI!