VIKINGBUS Denmark has placed an order for 45 Lion’s City E electric buses to be operated in the city of Copenhagen. and will in future operate routes in Denmark’s capital as well as on Frederiksberg, in Lyngby, Greve and Høje Taastrup. “The issue of sustainability is essential for VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S, which is why it was quickly decided that particularly environmentally friendly city buses should be used on the newly acquired bus routes,” says Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, adding, “We are naturally delighted that our MAN Lion’s City E was chosen and that the issue of environmental protection is becoming increasingly important in public transport.”
VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S already has MAN eBuses in operation and has thus been able to gain experience with the modern city buses. Since last year, the company has been using a total of 12 MAN Lion’s City E on bus routes in the Danish cities of Odder and Skanderborg. VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S has also been relying on MAN in the coach sector for many years. With the new order for 45 eBuses, VIKINGBUS has 86 MAN and NEOPLAN vehicles in its fleet. “The new order clearly shows how well we work together, but also how satisfied VIKINGBUS is with our vehicles. We are proud of that,” says Jesper Mathiesen, Fleet & PTA Tender Manager Citybus at MAN Denmark, and adds: “It is a great experience to put so many electric buses on the road in Greater Copenhagen and the additional suburban municipalities. We will do our best for a smooth start and operation of the vehicles.”
The 45 newly ordered eBuses are not the first MAN Lion’s City E to make their rounds in Copenhagen. Anchersen A/S already ordered 25 eBuses from MAN last year. These have already been delivered and will be used on Copenhagen’s central bus route 7A, which carries more than 4.3 million passengers every year. “But it is not ‘only’ in Denmark that our eBus, which was awarded the international ‘Bus of the Year 2023’ at the IAA 2022, is being excellently received, but also in Norway and Sweden. Only recently the Norwegian transport operator Unibuss ordered 76 MAN Lion’s City E from us,” says Rudi Kuchta and adds: “Scandinavia is considered one of the pioneers when it comes to alternative drives, so competition in the eBus market is correspondingly high. The fact that our Lion’s City E is so successful is a great recognition for the whole team, which is working tirelessly on the further development of the electric bus.”
The fact that MAN Truck & Bus regularly receives new orders for the Lion’s City E from Scandinavia as well as from the rest of Europe is certainly due to the advanced technology, flexibility and reliability of the fully electric city bus. “Our goal is to support municipalities and transport companies holistically on their way to emission-free mobility. In addition to the vehicle, however, comprehensive advice from MAN Transport Solutions and offers such as the MAN eManager play a central role here,” explains Rudi Kuchta. The MAN eManager is the digital central command system for the eBus. It is also used in the operation of the 45 MAN Lion’s City 12 E vehicles from VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S. The aim is to make the management of the fleet as simple as possible. Among other things, two options are available for charging the batteries: If “Immediate charging” is selected, the vehicle charges as soon as it is connected to a charging station and charging current is available. With “Timer charging”, several timers can be set simultaneously so that charging is programmed for a specific departure time. In addition, the vehicle interior can be thermally preconditioned: The eBus thus leaves the depot with a pleasant interior temperature at the click of a mouse, whereby preconditioning simultaneously has a positive effect on the remaining range, as less energy is required for heating or cooling at the start of the journey. “Definitely one of many points that convinced VIKINGBUS of our eBuses,” says Kuchta.
MAN to offer the electric bus chassis globally starting in 2024
