Israel increases funding for electric buses

Israel’s Ministry of the Environment has announced subsidies of 47 million shekels (around 11.7 million euros) for the purchase of 200 new electric buses by public transport companies. This is in addition to the 80 electric buses that have been subsidised to date.

++ Kindly see our update below ++

The declared goal is for every new city bus in Israel to be electric from 2025. The lion’s share of the subsidies is provided by the Ministry of the Environment itself, with 40 million shekels. Another four million will come from the prime minister’s Smart Mobility Administration budget and another three million from the Ministry of Finance.

The program will subsidise electric solo buses for urban operation with up to 250,000 shekels (around 62,000 euros), electric articulated buses with a maximum of 450,000 shekels (around 112,000 euros) and small electric buses with up to 100,000 shekels (just under 25,000 euros). According to the ministry, funds are now being made available to purchase small electric buses for the first time.

The Ministry of the Environment has already provided 27 million shekels to fund the purchase of 80 electric buses.

Update 06 May 2021: The Environmental Protection Ministry has increased its funding budget as it now announces an investment of 59 million shekels (about 15 million euros), twelve million ILS or three million euros more than budgeted above. The Ministry now also speaks of 220 and not 200 electric buses in its communications.

The buses are set to run in Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Eilat, Yavne, Ashdod, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Ramat Gan.

Once complete, the purchase will triple the number of electric buses operating in the country, now standing at 109.

Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel affirmed her goal to have all city buses go electric by 2025.

Additional reporting by Nora Manthey.

xinhuanet.com, gov.il, timesofisrael.com (update May 2021), gov.il (PI in Hebrew)