BVG orders 90 electric solo buses from Ebusco

The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has now officially awarded a large contract to the Dutch manufacturer Ebusco, initiating the order for 90 Ebusco 2.2. The first E-Solo is expected to be delivered next summer. With the new order, the Berlin electric fleet will grow to 228 electric buses.

"With this order, we will be bringing our electric buses to the south and west of our city for the first time. We are currently building the necessary charging infrastructure for 30 electric buses each at the Britz and Cicerostraße depots. This will allow the electrically operated vehicles to be deployed from three depots instead of just the Indira-Gandhi-Straße depot, making them accessible to even more Berliners," explains Rolf Erfurt, BVG's Chief Operating Officer.

Details: 12 meters and room for 65 passengers

The 12 m long Ebusco 2.2 buses offer space for around 65 passengers, with 32 fixed seats. The multifunctional compartment in the middle of the vehicle provides secure space for strollers and wheelchairs. Also on board is an information screen installed facing the opposite direction of travel.

As with their predecessors, the new buses are so-called depot chargers. According to BVG, the modern batteries have a usable energy content of 419 kWh, allowing the buses to operate up to 290 km without intermediate charging during regular service.

Financing: The state contributes significantly, BVG pays diesel price

The approved budget for the current order, including the necessary charging infrastructure, amounts to a total of around 65 million euros. Including the 138 electric buses already procured, funding notices from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety as well as from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure amounting to up to approximately 52 million euros are available so far. According to its own statements, BVG covers the costs that would have been incurred for comparable diesel buses.