Traffic – Hamburg – 166 e-buses on the road: almost 300 by the end of the year – economy

Hamburg (dpa / lno) – According to the companies involved, the conversion of Hamburg’s local buses to electric drives is progressing. The Hochbahn currently has 110 electric buses, said company spokesman Christoph Kreienbaum. The Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) use 56 electric vehicles in and around Hamburg. Hochbahn’s zero-emission fleet is set to grow by 80 buses this year. The VHH will put 32 more vehicles into operation in these weeks, and a further 17 electric buses are to be added by the end of the year. This would increase the total number of electrically operated buses in Hamburg from 166 to 295.

Both companies are currently still mainly on the road with diesel vehicles. The fleet of the Hochbahn comprises around 1100 buses, the fleet of the VHH almost 700. From 2030, according to the will of the Senate and Parliament, only zero-emission vehicles should be used in local public transport in Hamburg.

So far, the rising energy costs have not influenced the conversion. Hochbahn has long-term supply contracts for electricity. A rising diesel price, on the other hand, is quickly noticeable: an increase of one cent per liter means additional costs of 300,000 euros for the elevated railway, said Kreienbaum.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:220324-99-648524/2

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