Hamburg relies on solar power: HVV makes electric buses even greener!

Hamburg relies on solar power: HVV makes electric buses even greener!

The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) is committed to sustainability and plans to use photovoltaic systems to operate its electric buses in an even more climate-friendly manner in the coming months. Two such systems are being built at the bus depots in Schenefeld and Billbrook. In Schenefeld, around 1,400 solar modules are to be installed on a pergola, generating around 570,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. That's enough for around 1,400 charging sessions for electric buses. “We want to make operations more efficient and increase the proportion of electricity we produce ourselves,” explained an HVV spokesman.

Another photovoltaic system will be installed at the Billbrook site, which will provide around 340,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough for more than 800 charging processes. These measures are part of the targeted restructuring of the bus fleet, which should not only be quieter but also emission-free. “We are making local public transport in Hamburg more sustainable,” the HVV can proudly announce.

The trend towards electric buses in Germany

By the way, the number of electric buses in Germany has increased 15 times since 2018. According to that Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection 65 subsidized transport companies in 13 federal states benefit from funding that enables them to use 100% renewable electricity. Over their lifetime, it is estimated that these electric buses will save almost a million tons of CO2.

But it's not just the environment that benefits from these modern means of transport. Around two thirds of all electric buses in Germany come from funding programs and around 50% are produced by domestic manufacturers. This shows that the focus is not only on environmental protection, but that the local economy also benefits from this trend.

Technical details of the electric buses

What is actually behind the great success of electric buses? These modern vehicles offer a range of up to 450 kilometers and have a battery capacity of up to 423 kWh. This makes them ideal for local urban transport, where they drastically reduce CO2 emissions. The operating costs are also significantly lower - by 54% compared to diesel buses like the Industrial magazine reported.

What is also particularly interesting is that electric buses can be fully charged overnight in 6-8 hours. Safety features such as Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and modern convenience features such as WiFi and USB chargers are now standard. All of this leads to a pleasant side effect: noise pollution in cities drops significantly.

The clear focus on electric buses means that many cities, including Munich and Berlin, are moving towards modern mobility. With a planned purchase of around 11,000 electric buses by 2030, the trend will certainly continue to increase in the next few years. Deutsche Bahn has also decided to switch completely to electric buses by 2038, which once again illustrates how much the focus is on environmentally friendly mobility.

In any case, Hamburg is investing heavily in the future, and we can only hope that these developments actually bear fruit. Because one thing is clear: good public transport is the backbone of every city!