ELECTRIC BUSES

In cities, electric buses are an important contributor to more sustainable urban transport – they improve air quality, lower emissions and reduce noise pollution. Globally, almost 50,000 electric buses were sold in 2023, equating to 3 percent of total bus sales and bringing the global stock to approximately 635,000 in total.

Italy

Together with Autoservizi Troiani, a private company operating part of Rome’s public transportation system, ABB E-mobility and Daimler Buses Italia are helping to fully electrify a portion of the city’s bus fleet. The Italian Government’s ambition to reduce emissions and achieve national climate targets by 2030 has been a key driver of this initiative, with Autoservizi Troiani making great strides toward cleaner mobility in the urban public transit sector.

What’s been achieved so far?


64 charging points installed (21 more planned)
10 Terra 54HV mobile chargers installed
Electrification timeline accelerated through strategic planning

Norway


Unibuss has expanded its electric bus charging network to 70 ABB E-mobility high-power chargers, supporting 1,400 daily trips for over 70 million annual passengers across Oslo and surrounding areas. The infrastructure achieved 99.9% operational reliability during the harsh 2024/25 winter season, demonstrating electric bus viability in Nordic climates. This expansion supports Oslo’s goal of completely emission-free public transportation by 2028, backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement with ABB that provides 24/7 remote monitoring and on-site support for the critical public transport infrastructure.

Germany

Hamburg was one of the first cities in Germany to commit to emission-free local transport by 2030 and Hamburger Hochbahn partnered with ABB  to deliver the country’s first fully electrified bus terminal, which serves 467 million passengers per year. To complete the transition, ABB delivered the planning and implementation of the electric infrastructure and the connection of the bus depot to the grid. Now, the 44 buses, each with a range of up to 260 km when fully charged, can be simultaneously recharged in the central bus depot.

France

In the Côte d’Azur region, ABB has played a crucial role in the introduction of electric buses by supplying approximately  150 Terra DC monoblock chargers for overnight charging. The installation of 15 pantographs at bus terminals enables rapid charging in just 5 to 6 minutes. A collaboration with Transdev has led to ABB equipping the busy bus lines connecting Nice, Monaco, and Menton with three pantographs. More than 100 bus journeys are made on this vital route each day, serving an average of 2 million passengers every year. 

Switzerland

According to the strategy of the Swiss Association for Public Transport, by 2050 trains and buses in Switzerland must be around 30 percent more energy efficient and run without the slightest CO2 emissions. Electric buses equipped with ABB electric drivetrain technology are already used on line 83 of the Zurich public transport company (VBZ). The switching to electric operation on this line alone allows for savings of more than 200,000 liters of diesel and 540 tons of CO2 per year.

 

Basel committed to converting their entire public transportation network to run on 100% renewable energy by 2027, adding over 130 electric buses to achieve this goal. ABB is providing the complete charging infrastructure solution, including overnight depot charging and fast-charging stations at key stops, which could save 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.