VHH officially inaugurates Billbrook electric depot

The mobility transition in Hamburg is progressing at a rapid pace – Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) has converted its fourth of a total of 17 bus depots to e-mobility at the Billbrook site. The official inauguration of the new charging infrastructure took place on September 10th – installed over an area of around 6,300 m², up to 41 e-buses will be efficiently charged with green electricity, saving up to 2,660 tons of CO₂.

To start, 22 e-buses will initially go into operation from Billbrook, with a further 19 to follow by 2024. The buses of the electric fleet stationed in Billbrook will primarily be used on lines 3, 29, 119, 130, 230, 330, and 432.

"This depot is a prime example of how we are bringing public transport in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein into the future: sustainable and digital. As Germany's third-largest municipal bus operator, we are key drivers of the mobility transition. With today’s inauguration, we are reaching another milestone on the path to fully electrifying our fleet. We are pleased that thanks to the newly installed charging technology we can deploy even more emission-free vehicles between Schenefeld, Rahlstedt, and Bergedorf," said Dr. Lorenz Kasch, Managing Director of Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH.

Clear Goal in Sight

By the 2030s, the entire operation is expected to be converted to emission-free buses. Since 2020, the company has only been procuring battery-electric vehicles for the Hanseatic city. VHH put its first electric bus into operation back in 2014. Today, more than 100 electric VHH buses are on the roads in and around Hamburg.

The VHH depots in Hamburg-Bergedorf, Norderstedt, and Schenefeld have already been converted to e-mobility. As in Schenefeld, the electric buses are also charged on Moorfleeter Straße not at charging stations, but connected to charging plugs that lead from above through a pergola to the vehicle. This enables economically charging a larger number of vehicles in a comparatively smaller area. Each individual bus can be charged with a maximum power of 150 kW. The power supply is provided by transformers in the newly constructed technical building and an installed transfer station.

“By 2030, all Hamburg buses should be converted to locally emission-free drives. This will make an important contribution to climate protection. To achieve this ambitious goal, modern and powerful charging infrastructure is crucial – and with the e-depot in Billbrook, VHH is taking an important step in this direction,” said Anjes Tjarks, Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition.

Funded by the BMDV

VHH is investing a total of around ten million euros in the new charging technology. The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV).