Madrid Inaugurated Europe’s First Hydrogen Refueling Station for Buses, key component of the MOBILITIES FOR EU pilots, serving as a flagship example of how our living labs can accelerate the adoption of solutions for sustainable urban mobility across Europe.. The state-of-the-art hydrogen station encompasses the entire hydrogen cycle: production, compression, storage, and distribution of green hydrogen. Spread over 49,618m², the facility generates hydrogen through water electrolysis, leveraging engineering innovations by Spanish companies. EMT spearheaded this groundbreaking project’s design, construction, and management, including installing 2,780 photovoltaic panels to power the station.
Initially, the hydrogen will fuel ten buses manufactured by Portuguese company CaetanoBus, each boasting a range of 280 kilometres or 20 hours of street service.

This facility marks a significant milestone in EMT’s green hydrogen project, establishing hydrogen as a fundamental component of Madrid’s sustainable mobility strategy. EMT has been a leader in hydrogen innovation, having introduced hydrogen fuel cell buses in European pilot projects from 2002 to 2006, making it the first operator in this field in Spain. The €11.3 million project received €2.65 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Furthermore, the acquisition of the new buses is co-funded by NextGenerationEU through the Recovery Plan, covering 39.12% of the cost.

Madrid takes a significant leap toward decarbonising public transport by opening Europe’s first hydrogen refueling station for buses, paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable urban future.

Check out EMT Madrid’s video of the new refueling station.

Learn more about the Madrid Living Lab.