In 2022, Ebusco will supply the very first fully-composite, electric buses in the Netherlands. Transdev Nederland has ordered 39 Ebusco 3.0 buses for their city and intercity routes in the Gooi and Vecht region. The buses will contribute to clean and quiet bus transport in the Hilversum region.
Distinctive innovation
For this tender, Transdev Nederland has chosen to operate 39 of Ebusco’s innovative, lightweight electric city and regional buses from April 2022 onwards. These buses will travel an average of 110,000 kilometres per year on a plug-in charging basis.
The schedule of requirements gave tendering parties room to come up with innovative solutions that would help to achieve completely zero-emission public transport. Transdev Nederland seized this opportunity by tendering for the majority of the concession with the Ebusco 3.0; a bus that is 100% sustainable and extremely innovative, since it’s made from composite instead of steel. This configuration is therefore 25% lighter than regular city and intercity buses. The main advantage is much lower energy consumption and the ability to drive a lot more kilometres on the same battery pack. In addition, composite has the advantage of being extremely strong and therefore has a much longer lifespan, so these brand-new buses can still be used for years to come.
A major contribution to climate goals
With these buses, Transdev is making a significant contribution to the climate goals. Ebusco is once again delighted to be one of Transdev’s main partners and thus make a joint contribution to the improvement of air quality. Ebusco‘s electric buses will also help to tackle the nitrogen pollution crisis: these buses do not emit any CO₂ or nitrogen. Each bus will reduce CO₂ pollution by approximately 1 kg per kilometre driven. Based on the order, this provides a reduction in more than 30 million kg CO₂ over the entire contract period.
Background Information on the Ebusco 3.0
A multifunctional team of key experts with a proven track record in aerospace, automotive and electronics has been working on the development of this innovative game changer for years. The bus is unique, and has many innovations in addition to its composite body: for example, the batteries are located in the floor (making the bus much more stable and comfortable to drive) and the buses are fitted with cameras instead of mirrors (which makes the bus much safer). Naturally, inside the bus, both the bus driver and passengers have every luxury: the bus is more spacious than before, there are USB ports everywhere and the bus has air conditioning and Wi-Fi.
The Ebusco 3.0 has been produced entirely in the Netherlands; in Deurne. The Ebusco 3.0 (prototype) was introduced in October 2019 and Ebusco is extremely proud that Transdev Nederland will be the first to put this Ebusco 3.0 on the road in its home country: The Netherlands.
Long range
Due to the Ebusco 3.0‘s low energy consumption and its correspondingly long range, in most cases there is now no need for interim battery charging. This makes a considerable difference to the costs associated with the charging infrastructure and charging time. “As a company, we have now gained more than nine years of experience with electric buses and chargers, so we know exactly what we’re doing,” said Peter Bijvelds, CEO of Ebusco. “We believe the LFP-technology battery used on these buses is the best and safest battery on the market. Thanks to the combination of all the innovations we apply, these buses can travel up to 575 km on a single charge; which is truly unique for a bus“.