Berlin’s public transport operator, BVG, is taking a significant step towards electrifying its fleet with plans to purchase 350 electric-powered articulated buses. BVG’s Chief Operating Officer, Rolf Erfurt, stated that the vehicles will feature pantographs, which will enable them to charge their batteries at up to 90 locations in the German capital, using newly installed occasional chargers.
The deliveries of these electric buses, which BVG secured federal funding for last year, are expected to begin at the end of 2024. However, the identity of the supplier remains unknown. BVG’s goal is to set up charging infrastructure at terminal stops, allowing the 18-meter-long vehicles to operate throughout the day.
While the delivery of the 90 solo electric buses ordered from Ebusco is ongoing, BVG is not progressing as quickly as expected. Although the first Ebusco 2.2 fleet was unveiled in August 2022, only 18 of the 90 vehicles are currently in service.
See also: Ebusco Reports Record Order Book of 1,474 Electric Buses in 2022
Currently, Berlin has 156 electric buses, and BVG aims to electrify its entire bus fleet of around 1,500 vehicles by 2030. As an interim step, the number of electric buses in operation and subsidised by the federal government will reach 578 by the end of 2025.
Furthermore, BVG is not the only city to order 350 electric buses. Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) also announced a significant order for the same number of electric buses, with MAN Truck & Bus and Daimler Buses emerging as winners from the largest e-bus tender in VHH’s corporate history. The first units from the new framework agreement are expected to arrive in Hamburg in the first half of 2024.
