Switch to e-buses slowly gets off the ground

The transformation of public transport in Germany towards low-emission vehicles is beginning to gain traction, Michael Bauchmüller writes in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Figures compiled by consultancy PwC show that municipalities across the country plan to purchase over 160 e-buses this year, “almost doubling their total number” in German cities, Bauchmüller says. Hansjörg Arnold of PwC says that “we recognise that it starts to get off the ground,” adding that the debate over air pollution caused by diesel cars in German cities has increased pressure on policymakers and the car industry to provide cleaner alternatives. However, “e-buses cost about twice as much as conventional models, infrastructure costs not included,” he says, and in order to replace the country’s entire bus fleet, 3,000 new e-buses would have to be put in circulation each year.

Find the article in German here (paywall).