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Road to zero: More electric buses for Hamburg
The German Federal Ministry of Transport is investing nearly 160 million euros in the purchase of 472 additional electric buses for the city of Hamburg, Germany’s third-largest city.
Federal Minister Dr. Volker Wissing stated: ‘’472 more Hamburg city buses will be electric in the future – we are investing around 160 million euros for this. Because climate protection begins at the front door – when boarding public transport.’’
The recipients of the funding are Hamburger Hochbahn AG and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH), the two Hamburg’s public transport authorities. By 2030, both Hamburg companies hope to have converted their entire fleet to zero-emission buses.
‘’We need climate-neutral mobility for people. We can only do this by using electric vehicles to reduce emissions in traffic in a sustainable and permanent manner. Because buses in particular have an enormously high mileage in our inner cities, we are targeting this with our funding. Our support will help ensure that up to 40 percent of Hamburg’s city bus fleet can be electrified in the coming years,’’ minister Wissing further stated.
According to news service electrive.com, this is not the first time the German Federal Ministry of Transport has provided grants to Hamburg’s public transportation authorities, specifically for electric buses and related infrastructure. The German Federal Government has already contributed twelve million euros to Hochbahn for the purchase of 60 electric buses and 20 charging infrastructure units.
Furthermore, the ministry has already granted VHH 15 million euros for the purchase of 64 battery-electric buses and 1.8 million euros for the renovation of Bergedorf depot. (photo credit: electrive.com)
