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

  • Report analyses multiple ITS projects to highlight cost and benefits
    March 16, 2015
    Every year in America cost benefit analysis is carried out on dozens of ITS installations and pilot studies and the findings, along with the lessons learned, are entered into the Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) web-based ITS Knowledge Resources database. This database holds more than 1,600 reports and periodically the USDOT reviews the material on file to draw conclusions from this wider body of evidence. It has just published one such review ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Re
  • Traffex snapshot reveals enforcement advances
    July 24, 2017
    An indication of just how far beyond spot speed and red light the enforcement sector has progressed was evident in the range of new and improved equipment on display at the recent Traffex event in Birmingham. One of the key trends, particularly in the UK but also evident elsewhere, is the increase in average speed enforcement, according to RedSpeed’s managing director Robert Ryan, who predicts a big increase in installations this year. “The price point has reached a level authorities can afford,” he says, a
  • IBM Research boosts Battery 500 project
    April 23, 2012
    IBM has announced that two industry leaders, Asahi Kasei and Central Glass, will join its Battery 500 Project team and collaborate on far-reaching research with the potential to accelerate the switch from gasoline to electricity as the primary power source for vehicles. In 2009, IBM Research pioneered a sustainable mobility project to develop lithium-air battery technology capable of powering a family-sized electric car for approximately 500 miles (800 km) on a single charge.
  • LowCVP study identifies cost-effective options for cutting UK bus emissions
    July 4, 2013
    A new report prepared for the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) by Ricardo indicates that a wide range of innovative technologies can cut carbon emissions from buses and provide a short-term payback at current fuel prices and subsidy levels. The aim of the LowCVP study was to identify a range of low carbon fuels and technologies which can cost-effectively reduce well-to-wheel CO2 emissions for urban buses in the UK. The report developed technology roadmaps to illustrate when these technologies are lik