Hungarian bus manufacturer Ikarus has secured a contract to supply 150 battery-electric buses to North Macedonia, marking the largest single electric bus order in the company’s history.
The contract was awarded through a tender issued by North Macedonia’s Ministry of Transport earlier this year for battery-electric solo buses and associated charging infrastructure.
The tender required buses with a minimum driving range of 325 kilometres and battery capacity of at least 360 kilowatt-hours. It also included the supply of 75 charging stations, each with minimum charging output of 120 kilowatts.
The package additionally requires a four-year warranty covering the buses and batteries, along with a 10-year spare parts supply commitment.
The order was awarded to Electrobus Europe, a subsidiary of Ikarus, which will oversee delivery of both the electric buses and charging equipment.
Around 100 of the buses are expected to operate in the capital city Skopje, while the remaining vehicles will be distributed across other municipalities in the country.
Ikarus plans to deliver the Ikarus 120e V4 model, the latest generation of its 120e electric bus platform.
The 12.9-metre-long bus offers an operating range between 350 and 580 kilometres depending on battery configuration and uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology.
Ikarus, once one of the largest bus exporters in Eastern Europe, supplied more than 30,000 buses to the former East Germany before experiencing financial decline after political changes in the region. The company entered insolvency proceedings in 2007 before relaunching operations in 2010.
The manufacturer introduced electric buses into its portfolio five years ago. Several Ikarus electric buses are currently operating or undergoing trials in Germany, including deployments in Meiningen and testing by Chemnitzer Verkehrs-AG in Chemnitz.
János Hunor Kelemen, sales director of the Ikarus Group, said the order represented a major milestone for the company’s international growth strategy.
“The opportunity for this outstanding new order by volume demonstrates a strong validation of Ikarus’ technical preparedness and international competitiveness, and is a key milestone in the successful implementation of our company’s market strategy,” Kelemen said.
“We are particularly proud that our offer is built on the collaboration of multiple nations and cultures, and that at key points of implementation we can rely on the expertise of local North Macedonian companies,” he added.
