Berlin’s public transport operator BVG has started test operations of a new fast-charging station for battery-electric buses at Marzahn S-Bahn station, supporting the continued electrification of the city’s bus network.
The new facility enables buses equipped with pantograph charging systems to recharge directly at the terminus, allowing vehicles to remain in passenger service for longer without returning to a depot.
Electric buses operating on routes X54, 191, 195 and 291 are expected to begin using the charging station during scheduled layovers.
Charging Network Expansion Under Stella Project
The Marzahn installation forms part of BVG’s Stella project, which will introduce fast-charging infrastructure at 20 bus termini across Berlin.
According to BVG, construction is currently underway at six locations.
The charging system consists of a charging mast with a crossbeam supporting multiple charging hoods. When a bus stops beneath the structure, a roof-mounted pantograph connects automatically to the charging equipment, enabling high-power charging.
Supporting infrastructure, including a transformer station and charging control building, has been installed alongside the charging point.
The opportunity charging stations complement BVG’s existing strategy of overnight depot charging by allowing buses to replenish their batteries during scheduled breaks, extending daily operating time and reducing the need for daytime depot visits.
The infrastructure also supports longer routes where intermediate charging can be integrated into normal service operations.
Electric Bus Fleet Continues to Grow
Alongside the expansion of on-route charging infrastructure, BVG is building two new electric bus depots in Säntisstraße and Treptow.
The facilities will accommodate approximately 440 battery-electric buses and include several hundred overnight charging points, together with fast chargers for opportunity charging and short-term top-ups.
BVG also plans to procure an additional 270 battery-electric buses by 2027, increasing its electric fleet to around 550 vehicles.
This would result in approximately one-third of the operator’s fleet of around 1,500 buses being battery-electric by 2027.
The electrification programme is supported by €160 million in funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport, alongside additional financial support from the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Action and the Environment, NOW GmbH and Projektträger Jülich through Germany’s alternative bus propulsion funding programme.