Skip to main content

Europe-wide demonstration of electric buses begins in Barcelona

A major step towards greener urban public transport was made this week with the launch of the first ZeEUS (Zero Emission Urban Bus System) demonstration in Barcelona. The flagship project is the first of its kind to test 12 metre-plus electric buses in real operation. Barcelona is the first demonstration site of the UITP-coordinated ZeEUS project, with core demonstrations in seven other European cities to follow: London and Glasgow; Stockholm; Münster and Bonn, Plzen and Cagliari. In total, 35 plug-in hy
October 16, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
A major step towards greener urban public transport was made this week with the launch of the first ZeEUS (Zero Emission Urban Bus System) demonstration in Barcelona. The flagship project is the first of its kind to test 12 metre-plus electric buses in real operation.

Barcelona is the first demonstration site of the UITP-coordinated ZeEUS project, with core demonstrations in seven other European cities to follow: London and Glasgow; Stockholm; Münster and Bonn, Plzen and Cagliari. In total, 35 plug-in hybrid, full electric and battery trolley buses built by six European manufacturers will be tested by local operators.

For the demonstration in Barcelona, local operator TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) will test four full electric buses: two standard i2e Irizar buses and two articulated Solaris buses.

The i2e is a standard 12 metre bus from Spanish manufacturer Irizar and is one of Europe’s first 100 per cent full electric buses with a range of up to 200-250 kilometres. The bus, which uses sodium-nickel batteries together with ultra-capacitors, will be charged overnight in the TMB’s Triangle depot and is also capable of storing the energy produced during braking. The first unit began circulating with passengers along Barcelona bus lines on 18 August.

The 18m bus, also produced in Europe from one of Europe’s leading bus manufacturers, Polish company Solaris, will be charged along the route itself via ‘opportunity charging’. The charging system supplies an electric charge of 400 kW CC to the bus through a retractable pantograph on the roof. The two 18m articulated buses aim to be operational in June 2015.

The Barcelona demonstration, which is led by TMB and involves ENDESA, ENIDE, UPC, IDIADA, GMV, Irizar and Solaris, will run until February 2017.

“Bus fleets have been a testing ground for alternative fuels and engines for many years, but today 95% of all buses still use fossil fuels,” said Umberto Guida, ZeEUS project director. “With this project we are well on the way to greener and smarter transport systems for our cities and electric vehicles will play a critical role in cleaning our air, making our towns and cities quieter and more enjoyable places to live and work.”

Related Content

  • EV Connect to complete key routes along the West Coast Electric Highway
    March 9, 2016
    US-based electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider EV Connect has been awarded a US$1.8 million contract from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to complete key routes of the West Coast Electric Highway, a network of fast charging and Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations that will stretch from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. In addition, EV Connect will provide management of the charging network which includes the charging stations, host locations, electric utility interaction and the
  • Grant to fund commercialisation of PbC batteries for micro-hybrid vehicles
    May 25, 2012
    Axion Power International, the developer of advanced lead-¬carbon PbC batteries and energy storage systems, has been awarded a US$150,000 grant from the US Department of Energy (DoE) to fund a commercialisation plan for the use of its PbC batteries in a low-cost, high-efficiency dual battery architecture for micro-hybrid vehicles.
  • The challenging European road to carbon neutrality and the need for distance-based charging
    November 1, 2023
    Fuel taxes are falling and EVs have the potential to create social equity issues. The answer may lie in expanding the use of technology which has successfully been used for two decades with trucks
  • Pivot Power: 'We need to rethink the EV customer experience'
    October 10, 2018
    Electric vehicles will increasingly become a key part of the mobility mix but charging infrastructure is currently patchy. Adam Hill talks to Matt Allen of Pivot Power about disruption, horses, slot machines – and the importance of customer experience. Electric vehicles (EVs) – including buses, taxis and cars for individual and shared use – are already a common sight on our roads. They are not yet ubiquitous. But that will come. There will be around 30 million electric cars in the world by 2030 (as they