How Polish Cities Are Wasting EU Funds on Hydrogen Buses — Ignoring Energy Efficiency First - CleanTechnica

A review of eight Polish municipal projects funded by the EU’s Green Public Transport program reveals a widespread neglect of the Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle, which mandates comparing energy use and costs before selecting zero-emission bus technologies. Despite EU law, seven out of eight cities failed to conduct any meaningful energy or cost-efficiency comparisons between hydrogen fuel-cell buses (FCEVs) and battery-electric buses (BEVs). The subsidy structure favored hydrogen buses by offering up to 90% funding compared to 80% for BEVs, incentivizing cities to choose the more expensive and energy-intensive hydrogen option. This has led to public funds being spent on buses that consume 4–5 times more electricity and cost 4–6 times more to operate than BEVs. Operational data from Polish cities confirm the inefficiency of hydrogen buses. For example, BEVs in Białystok consume 85–130 kWh per 100 km, while hydrogen buses require about 490 kWh per