E-Bus Registrations: Germany in Lower Midfield

Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands are leading in the registration of emission-free buses. Transport & Environment has created a chart based on data from Chatrou – CME Solutions, showing the share of locally emission-free buses registered in European countries in 2019. That year, there were over 1,600 e-bus registrations, more than three times as many as in 2018. According to this, Denmark is a leader in this field: 78% of new vehicles are fully electric. In Luxembourg and the Netherlands, around two-thirds of the new buses were locally emission-free. They are followed by Sweden (26%), Norway (24%), and Finland (23%) at a considerable distance. Italy, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, and France, whose share together makes up around 70% of city buses sold in Europe, are trailing far behind. 

Progress in Poland and Germany

However, T & E also notes that Germany made a significant step forward in promoting electromobility in the public transport sector in 2020. Poland, for its part, announced that by 2030, all public transport in cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants should be fully electric and provided 290 million euros as a first step for financing.

According to T & E, the current pandemic is an opportunity for other EU countries to catch up by including emission-free buses in their investment plans as part of the fight against coronavirus, which they have to submit to the European Commission by the end of April. The EU’s 750 billion euro recovery fund also includes provisions for e-bus financing.

City bus fleets cover millions of kilometers every year. If we want to decarbonize our cities, these vehicles need to become emission-free as quickly as possible. The Nordic countries, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands show how to get e-buses on the road. Other countries, especially those that purchase many buses like Italy, Spain, and France, as well as those just beginning their transition like Austria, need to step up their efforts. EU member states need to ensure that their current coronavirus recovery plans finance the replacement of fossil fuel-operated buses with emission-free ones. (T & E Manager James Nix)