Clear the stage for a new face in Berlin’s electric bus fleet. Today, Friday 26 August 2022, the Berlin public transport operator presented the first example of its new e-bus type. A further 89 Ebusco 2.2 vehicles are to follow by the end of the year, which means that BVG will then have 228 electric buses in operation.
The new vehicles from the Dutch manufacturer Ebusco are 12 metres long and offer space for around 70 passengers, with 35 fixed seats. In the multifunctional compartment in the middle of the car there is secure space for prams and wheelchairs. Of course, an information screen facing the opposite direction of travel is again on board. As with their predecessors, the new buses are so-called depot loaders. The buses have a total battery capacity of 525 kWh, of which 419 kWh can be used. According to the manufacturer, this allows the buses to travel 290 kilometres without intermediate charging. This is a significant advancement. Comparable buses in the existing fleet manage around 150 kilometres. The bus was able to cover the almost 700 km route from the Dutch manufacturing plant in Deurne completely on the motorway without recharging and even had 100 km of remaining range after arriving in Berlin.
As with the existing 12 m E-buses, recharging takes place in the depot and lasts between 2.5 and 4 hours, depending on the charging power (max 150 kW per bus). This means that recharging can be integrated very well into the existing circulation schedules. At maximum charging power, even 1 hour and 15 minutes would be possible.
Premiere with Transport Minister Wissing
The premiere of the new e-buses was also attended by Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing, Stefan Wenzel, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, and Meike Niedbal, Berlin’s State Secretary for Mobility, at the BVG depot in Indira-Gandhi-Straße on Friday. The federal government and the state are providing significant funding for the BVG project to further advance the electrification of the bus fleet. The approved budget for the 90 new vehicles, including the required charging infrastructure, totals around 65 million euros.
For the decarbonisation of the BVG bus fleet, including the 138 electric buses that have already been procured, funding decisions from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and the German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport of up to around 52 million euros have been made available so far. BVG assumes the costs that would have been incurred for comparable diesel buses.
Restructuring of Berlin’s e-bus operations
According to BVG, the new Ebusco electric buses will replace the electric buses previously used at the Indira-Ghandi-Straße depot (in north-eastern Berlin), which have a range of around 150 km, and will thus be used on routes 142, 147 and 300. Start of operation is planned for mid September. Thanks to their range, the Ebusco’s can cover entire daily routes. Part of the existing e-bus fleet will be transferred to the south and west of Berlin. The corresponding charging infrastructure for 30 e-buses each is currently being built at the Britz and Cicerostraße depots. They will then be on the M46, 110, 112, 115, 170, 179, 186, 188, 246, 271, 277, 283, 309, 310, N10, N77, N81, N88 lines, for example.
The Ebusco 2.2 – an energy saver
The Dutch manufacturer supplies the Ebusco 2.2 to BVG. It is characterised by very low energy consumption of 0.9 kWh/km on average. Compared to previous vehicles, the battery capacity has been increased, a new driveline with the electric portal axle ZF AVE 130 and CO2 heat pump from Thermoking. The bus is trimmed for maximum energy efficiency; the waste heat from the driveline as well as the batteries is used, for example, on colder days to warm the interior and thus improve energy consumption. In addition, a new and optimised energy saving algorithm has been applied in the vehicle, which helps to recover up to 40% of the energy consumed during braking.
Electric Bus Capital Berlin
With 228 electric buses, Berlin will have the largest electric bus fleet in Germany at the end of this year. A good 13 percent of Berlin’s e-bus fleet will then be electric. And it goes even further. At the beginning of 2023, the tender for a total of 350 articulated electric buses will start.
Dr Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport: “Especially in cities, buses with alternative drives make an enormous contribution to improving the quality of life. Anyone who has ever stood behind a diesel bus on a bicycle knows what I am talking about. That’s why we specifically support the conversion of diesel buses to alternative drives. Our goal is to have 50 percent of city buses on the road with alternative, climate-friendly drives by 2030. I am pleased that the transport companies are tackling this major challenge together with us.”
Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection: “We need to make further progress in the transport transition as well as in the transformation of the industry that manufactures the climate-friendly products. This requires independent and efficient production for central components of e-cars and e-buses in Germany and Europe. I am therefore pleased that with Ebusco, a model from a European partner country will be added to BVG’s e-bus fleet.”
Dr. Meike Niedbal, Berlin’s State Secretary for Mobility: “The decision not only to use e-buses on a trial basis, but to push ahead with a system change to completely CO2-free bus operation is as ambitious as it is right. The technology is developing rapidly, the ranges are increasing – and the advantages of a quiet, emission-free e-bus are immediately noticeable in the city. We will consistently pursue the plan to use exclusively e-buses by 2030, for the benefit of climate-friendly and city-compatible public transport in Berlin.”
Dr. Rolf Erfurt, Chief Operating Officer of BVG: “More than seven years ago, we put the first four electric buses into operation and have been continuously replacing diesel buses with electric buses ever since. During this time, we have learned how to successfully convert the entire bus fleet in a city like Berlin and can now also increase the pace of vehicle orders. With 90 e-buses in one fell swoop, we are sending a big signal for the environment. This will give us the largest e-bus fleet in Germany with around 230 electric buses.”
Peter Bijvelds, CEO Ebusco: “We are pleased to deliver the first of a total of 90 Ebusco buses to Germany’s largest public transport company today. BVG is playing a pioneering role in the conversion of the German public transport market to climate-neutral solutions and we are pleased to be able to support BVG as a partner in this process. There has been intense collaboration between the two organisations over the past few months, making today a memorable moment for all involved. In the coming period, our teams will continue to work on getting the additional 89 buses ready for delivery so that even more safe and, above all, climate-neutral kilometres can be driven in Berlin.”
