Italy’s electric bus market surged in 2024, with one in five newly registered buses featuring battery-electric drive systems, according to figures from Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica (AZINA). City buses led the shift, with battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounting for 40% of new registrations in this category.
The year saw a remarkable 162% increase in electric bus registrations, with 1,026 units added to Italy’s roads. This growth propelled BEVs to a 21% share of the overall bus market, which expanded to 4,920 units in total—a 20% year-on-year rise. Diesel-powered buses remained the largest segment with 1,740 registrations, though they recorded a steep 25% decline. Natural gas buses followed, seeing a 76% increase to 1,246 units. Other categories included hybrids (772), liquid petroleum gas buses (49), fuel cell buses (44), and methane hybrids (43).
City buses (Class I) showed the strongest growth, rising 74% year-on-year to 2,440 units, with BEVs accounting for 994 of these. “The shift to electric in city transport reflects a broader trend toward sustainable urban mobility,” AZINA said in its report.
While the intercity bus market saw a slight contraction, declining 16% to 1,791 units, the coach segment showed recovery, growing 25% to 658 units. The continued rise of electrified transport in Italy aligns with increasing European efforts to decarbonize public transportation.
Source: autobusweb.com