Since 2018 Flixbus has been using three battery operated buses made in China between Paris and Amiens and between Frankfurt airport and Mannheim. Now Flixmobility, the company behind Flixbus, wants to work with its partners to develop its own bus model that is equipped with fuel cells and batteries. The first partner is the Weinheim-based company Freudenberg Sealing Technologies , which specializes in electric energy systems for buses, trains, trucks and ships. The search is on for a bus manufacturer as an additional partner.

The requirements of the buses set by Flixmobility are high: They must be able to cover 500 km without having to refuel and have acceleration that corresponds to the Euro 6 standard for long-distance buses with diesel engines. Refueling with hydrogen should take a maximum of 20 minutes. The plan is to get a test fleet of 30 vehicles on the road initially. The two companies are hoping to get public funding for the development as part of the Nationale Innovationsprogramm Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellentechnologie [National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology] (NIP) .