Tender for 83 electric buses in Barcelona
In Spain, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the public transport operator in the Barcelona metropolitan region, has launched the tender process for the procurement of up to 83 additional electric buses including charging infrastructure. These are to replace diesel buses that have reached the end of their service life in 2023.
The tender initially covers 65 electric buses with the possibility of increasing this number to 83 depending on available funding and grants. This involves 45 standard 12-metre electric buses (including an option to increase the number to 63 vehicles) and 20 articulated 18-metre electric buses.
The tender stipulates that the vehicles must be delivered between April and September 2023. The basic budget of the tender amounts to 58.3 million euros. According to Laia Bonet, President of TMB, the project is the largest acquisition of electric vehicles for public transport in the Barcelona region. The tender was opened in agreement with the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM).
Currently, the TMB fleet includes 30 all-electric buses serving the H16 line. Following on from this tender, TMB also wants to electrify lines H12 and V15. Once the vehicles from the tender have arrived, further lines are to be converted. By the end of 2023, TMB aims to have up to 200 electrified buses. “The commitment to electrify bus routes will enable us to reduce CO2 emissions by 17,000 tonnes, which is our target for 2025,” said President Bonet.
In November 2021, TMB ordered 25 electric buses from BYD. These 12-metre electric buses are to be delivered to Barcelona from 2022. The buses, assembled in Hungary, feature a 442 kWh LFP battery that is expected to provide a range of 400 kilometres in the Standardised on Road Test (SORT II) and can be charged by cable or by pantograph. In September last year, TMB ordered a total of 24 Urbino 12 electric buses from Solaris that are scheduled to arrive in the capital of Catalonia by the end of 2022.
In March 2021, public transport operator launched a tender for a total of 210 electric and hybrid buses as part of its fleet renewal plan. The tender was divided into five lots and has a total value of 116 million euros.
TMB aims to completely phase out diesel buses from its active fleet by 2030.
0 Comments