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Madrid retires its last diesel-powered bus, becoming first major European city with green fleet
Madrid has retired its last diesel-powered bus in December, stressing that it became the first major city in Europe with a fully green bus fleet.
Mayor of Madrid José Luis Martínez-Almeida noted that the city fulfilled its promise from 2020 to remove polluting buses from its fleet by 2023 with the aim of improving air quality and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Madrid’s bus fleet is compliant with the EU Clean Vehicles Directive, which allows buses to use electricity, hydrogen and natural gas as fuels.
City authorities announced that fully electric buses will make up 25% of its fleet by 2025 and pointed out that modernisation of the bus fleet lowered the average age of vehicles from about 6.5 years in 2019 to less than 5 in 2022.
The fleet now has nearly 2,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and 180 electric ones, with Madrid authorities pointing out that the first ten hydrogen-powered buses and additional 150 electric ones will join the fleet next year.
Madrid reminded that it is implementing sustainable transport solutions to achieve environmental goals. For this purpose, public transport company EMT Madrid is planning to use its operations centre in La Elipa as a reference for fully electric fleet management.
The company noted that its investments in sustainable transport in the period between 2021 and 2025 will exceed EUR 500 million and reminded that it acquired the first electric buses in 2007.
(Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Madrid)
