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ARCHIVED - Alicante becomes European test centre for electric city bus of the future
Trials of a "revolutionary articulated bus" have been carried out in Alicante city this week
What is being hailed as the "bus of the future" is being trialled in Alicante after the German manufacturer MAN selected the city as a European test centre due to its "demanding climate".
The "revolutionary" 100% electric urban bus was put to the test on a route between Adif railway station and the Ocean Race area of the city port on Tuesday March 29, as well as on the regular lines of La Alcoyana and Masatusa, after MAN teamed up with Alicante bus company Vectalia to trial the vehicle.
The clean alternative to public transport is 18 metres long, 2.5 metres wide and designed to carry 130 passengers. It's capable of running for 16 consecutive hours without having to return to the depot to recharge, and is equipped with two batteries with a total output of 640 kilowatts, which are partly recharged automatically when the bus brakes.
Even at night, during off-peak hours, the bus recharges fully in just three hours.
However, all of this doesn't come cheap, and the bus costs 500,000 euros, double that of a conventional diesel, with an operational life of 15 years.
According to Vectalia, which confirmed it is very likely that these buses will soon be incorporated into its fleet, Alicante is an "ideal test laboratory" for electric vehicles due to its "demanding" Mediterranean climate where summers are very hot and humid, and winters are cold in the mornings and evenings. This means vehicles require a lot of energy for air conditioning and climate control systems.
In addition, the terrain, with steep gradients in certain areas, also provides an insight into the endurance of the vehicles.
The electric bus is being tested in 16 different European cities in the midst of the implementation of the Climate Change Act, which requires cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to create low-emission zones, and the distribution of European funds, partly aimed at promoting electrification.
"By 2025, half of our new city buses will be alternative propulsion, and we expect that by 2030, 90% of our city buses will be delivered with a battery drive," says Rudi Kuchta, head of the Bus Business Unit at MAN Truck & Bus.
The aim is to cover 15 to 20 hours of a solid daily service without intermediate recharging.
Image: Vectalia
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