MAN to supply Lion electric buses to Copenhagen
Public transit operator Anchersen has ordered 25 electric buses from MAN Truck & Bus to service in Copenhagen. Delivery is scheduled for the end of the year. Anchersen says it will use the battery-electric buses on Copenhagen’s central bus route 7A, which carries more than 4.3 million passengers each year.
The order includes 25 e-buses of type Lion’s City 12 E. MAN Truck & Bus states this is the first order from Denmark and now represents the biggest order from Scandinavia. “A few months ago, Nobina Sverige AB ordered 22 Lion’s City E buses from us for Malmö, Sweden. With that in mind, we’re delighted with the order,” said Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN.
Copenhagen’s e-buses offer space for up to 76 passengers, slightly more than the combustion engine counterpart of the model due to the missing engine compartment at the rear. MAN uses a central motor on the rear axle. The company claims this to increase driving stability and safety as well as maximising energy recovery during braking. The main power source is the batteries on the roof, with an installed capacity of 480 kWh. MAN specifies a “reliable range” of 200 km and up to 270 km in “favourable conditions” over the batteries’ entire service life.
MAN claims it takes less than three hours to charge the electric bus with an average charging power of 100 kW, and at the maximum charging power of 150 kW via CCS, the charging time is shorter still. The manufacturer also recommends depot charging for smooth integration into operations.
This is indeed what Anchersen will do. The operator plans to build an electric bus port with 25 charging stations at its depot in Jernholmen, just outside Copenhagen. “That was a crucial factor for us. Since we charge our bus fleet exclusively at the depot, we need reliable buses able to cover a long-range,” Anchersen says. “In our last invitation to tender, we fielded offers from multiple electric bus manufacturers. Some of the key factors behind our decision favouring the MAN Lion’s City E were the capacity of the installed battery packs, the local service offered, and the outstanding experiences other transport companies have already had with the electric bus. Plus, we were impressed by the fast delivery time and the smooth, unbureaucratic ordering process.”
The 25 MAN electric buses are to arrive in Copenhagen before the year’s end and will be made at MAN’s Polish plant in Starachowice.
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