German cities' demand for subsidised e-buses outstrips expectations

There is a rush for electric buses as many German municipalities and cities are decarbonising their public transport systems, the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) said in a press release. The association said that their previous estimate of 1,000 new e-buses on Germany’s roads per year would likely have to be corrected upwards. While this is good news for the mobility transition, suppliers now fear that subsidy schemes are oversubscribed, which could lead some customers to reverse their order plans. “We need planning security throughout Germany to keep up the pace in the big cities as well as in rural areas,” VDV vice president Werner Overkamp said.

The government subsidy scheme to support battery-electric or hydrogen-powered e-bus fleets and their infrastructures amounts to 1.25 billion euros as of 2024. In order to get a grip on the country's notoriously high transport sector emission's, the public transport share target is to have 22.5 percent share of e-buses in new procurements by that year.