Skip to main content

The bus future is electric, says UITP

More and more cities in Europe and around the world are turning to electric buses (or e-buses) in an effort to go green according to UITP’s new ZeEUS eBus Report. The report, published as part of the Zero Emission Urban Bus System project, reveals that 19 public transport operators and authorities, covering around 25 European cities, have a published e-bus strategy for 2020. By this date, there should be more than 2,500 electric buses operating in these cities, representing six per cent of their total fl
January 11, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
More and more cities in Europe and around the world are turning to electric buses (or e-buses) in an effort to go green according to UITP’s new ZeEUS eBus Report.

The report, published as part of the Zero Emission Urban Bus System project, reveals that 19 public transport operators and authorities, covering around 25 European cities, have a published e-bus strategy for 2020. By this date, there should be more than 2,500 electric buses operating in these cities, representing six per cent of their total fleet of 40,000.

Meanwhile, more than 13 public transport operators and authorities in a further 18 European cities have a strategy up to 2025; by then, they are expected to have more than 6,100 electric buses in service, representing 43 per cent of their total fleet of 14,000.

The report also includes a market analysis conducted among bus manufacturers, which indicates that a European series production of electric buses should reach full maturity by 2018-2020. These developments all bode well for the uptake of fully electric buses in the near future, since demand and supply are now beginning to converge.

The report gives an overview of the electric buses in operation in Europe today, along with the different solutions available on the market, featuring 61 cities around Europe that operate or test high capacity e-buses (at least 12m long or with capacity for at least 55 passengers). The publication also lists 27 manufacturers that offer this type of vehicles for the European market.

A wide range of technological solutions exist for the electrification of public transport, but every choice is dependent on the local situation and can result in a different total cost of ownership and the report offers an overview of experiences from various cities regarding the feasibility of implementing e-buses.

Looking wider afield, the report estimates the worldwide e-bus fleet to have reached approximately 173,000 in 2015. China is leading this global mass deployment, with more than 98.3 per cent of the global total (170,000 buses) operating in cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. These developments are strongly endorsed by Chinese government policy, which includes a ‘new energy buses’ programme, aiming to produce 1.67m electric vehicles (including e-buses), and to create 1.2m jobs annually from 2010-2020.

In terms of scale, Europe follows Asia with over 1,300 electric buses delivered or on order. This figure includes battery buses (overnight and opportunity charged), plug-in hybrid buses and trolleybuses with batteries for off-wire operation. The greatest number of electric buses of the above types can be seen in the United Kingdom, with over 18 per cent of the total European fleet, followed by the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and Germany, with around ten per cent each.

Related Content

  • Survey finds driver demand for connected cars is growing
    July 18, 2014
    Research just released by telecommunications company Telefónica suggests that consumers are ready for connected cars. According to the study, there is sufficient global demand for connected car services, with more than 70 per cent of drivers surveyed saying that they are interested in using, or are already using, connected car services. The survey found that around half of consumers now consider connected features, such as inbuilt connectivity and the ability to plug in a smartphone, a key part of their
  • ATS study finds school bus stop arm cameras effective in reducing violations
    July 4, 2014
    Analysis carried out by American Traffic Systems (ATS) on routes where its CrossingGuard school bus stop arm cameras are installed found that, while the number of violations on those routes fell by more than 15 per cent during the school year, customers have reported stop arm running violation decreases fleet wide, on all buses. The analysis also finds that less than one per cent of drivers who receive one ticket get a second citation. Both results indicate the camera safety programs are off to a quick
  • Study: Daimler, Audi, BMW, GM lead on autonomous vehicles
    October 20, 2015
    A new Leaderboard Report from Navigant Research examines the strategy and execution of 18 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including company profiles and rankings, to provide industry participants with an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the developing autonomous vehicle market. The report, Navigant Research Leaderboard Report: Autonomous Vehicle OEMs, examines the strategy and execution of 18 global vehicle manufacturers that are involved in the emerg
  • UK Government Air Quality Plan – call for funding for FCEVs
    July 27, 2017
    Following the release of the UK Government’s final Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, ITM Power says this represents an historic first step towards cleaner and greener transport in the UK. However, it is calling on the UK Government to provide equivalent financial support for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) infrastructure as it has already provided for plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) infrastructure. The company, wh