Skip to main content

Vienna’s first electric bus goes into operation

The first electric bus (eBus) to be used in Austria’s capital city of Vienna has been put into service by the municipal transport authority, Wiener Linien, the first operator in Europe to implement and integrate eBuses into scheduled service. Designed and developed by Siemens Rail Systems and bus manufacturer Rampini, the vehicle is the first of twelve with which Wiener Linien intends to move two of the city's bus services to electric power by the summer of 2013. The vehicle’s total energy requirement is st
October 31, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The first electric bus (eBus) to be used in Austria’s capital city of Vienna has been put into service by the municipal transport authority, 4203 Wiener Linien, the first operator in Europe to implement and integrate eBuses into scheduled service.

Designed and developed by 189 Siemens Rail Systems and bus manufacturer Rampini, the vehicle is the first of twelve with which Wiener Linien intends to move two of the city's bus services to electric power by the summer of 2013.

The vehicle’s total energy requirement is stored in the onboard lithium ferrite battery system, which also supplies the heating and air-conditioning systems.  The battery charger is installed on the bus, which recharges at each bus stop via an elevating, roof-mounted pantograph. Battery capacity is 96 kilowatt hours, and the batteries can be recharged within fifteen minutes, and provide a range of between 120 to 150 km.  Energy regained from braking is regenerated through the three-phase motors, and fed back into the batteries.  The batteries are fully recharged over night when the bus is stationery in the depot.

The compact low-floor bus can carry up to 40 passengers, and its top speed is limited to 62 kilometers per hour. The bus itself does not emit any CO2, and is almost silent. Siemens claims eBuses require 25 percent less energy than petrol or diesel-powered buses, are less expensive to maintain and are completely emission-free in operation.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Microgrids & the new power generation
    August 31, 2021
    Public transportation agencies are turning to microgrids to provide critical resilience in the event of local and regional power interruptions. Gordon Feller looks at projects in Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts
  • Buses services benefit from seamless Wi-Fi data transfer
    April 9, 2014
    Ted Bowser explains how the almost total Wi-Fi coverage at Ride-On’s new bus garage is providing big benefits for the operator and passengers alike. The ability to download and upload data to and from the various systems on board buses has become central to mass transit operators’ business model. So when Ride-On, the public transportation system in Maryland’s Montgomery County, was moving one of its three depots into a bigger and purpose-built facility, connectivity was a key consideration.
  • Siemens to electrify metro lines in Peru
    January 25, 2016
    Siemens has been awarded a contract by Ansaldo STS to electrify the new double-track metro line 2 in Peru’s capital city, Lima, as well as the eight kilometre-long first phase of line 4 in the city. The two new metro lines will connect additional city districts and the international airport to the capital's mass transit network. The contract also includes the simultaneous extension of line 2 to the airport, the first phase of the future line 4. The project includes six feeder stations, two 20 kV cable
  • Vehicle identification systems aid dynamic bus operations
    April 24, 2013
    David Crawford looks at a global trend towards more efficiency in less space As buses gain increased profile in the public transport mix needed for modal shift, attention is turning towards improving terminal layouts for more efficient handling of services and passengers. Locations, too, tend to be in central areas of cities, where sites are restricted and land values high. Enter the dynamic bus station, which uses modern vehicle identification systems to optimise space use and streamline service operation