City banks on e-buses Seven new electric buses for Bonn
BONN · Despite some setbacks, local transportation authorities want to stick to their plan to implement the use of electric buses. The supervisory board, chaired by Mayor Ashok Sridharan, has decided to purchase or lease four regular sized electric buses, and three articulated ones.
It is a logical step for the “climate capital” says the mayor. Funding applications at both federal and state level will be submitted. Anja Wenmakers is managing director of SWB, the public utilities company responsible for public transportation, and she believes the seven battery-powered buses will be available by the beginning of 2019 at the latest. A European wide tender is being prepared.
The SWB has been testing six buses from the German company Sileo since 2016. But the EU-funded project ZeEUS ((Zero Emission Urban Bus System) expires at the end of April. Of the six Sileo buses, five had to be taken back to the manufacturer for some work, because the operating times of the buses fell short of expectations. But the SWB still wants to continue using one of those buses after the project period ends.
Wenmakers said the SWB wanted to continue to rely on electric buses, and not other technologies such as biogas or hydrogen. The sister company, SWB Energy and Water produces electricity. Wenmakers was optimistic that the approximate 200 buses could be replaced by electric ones before 2030. To help reduce the exhaust now, the service provider wants to retrofit a hundred old diesel buses.
Meanwhile, the planning committee decided on the request of the SPD party that the SWB should change the tender for the purchase of new trams. As reported, there was a council decision that 24 old trams should be replaced by 26 new ones from 2020 to 2022. This could be increased by nine or even up to twelve more if the committee wishes, providing it does not cost more money. Wenmakers said that faster delivery was not possible. The call for tenders is being prepared.
Orig. text: Philipp KönigsTranslation: ck
