European cities slow to adopt electric buses

Fully electric buses account for only 9% of urban bus sales in Europe, according to research by Transport and Environment (T&E), a green campaign group. High upfront costs are the biggest barrier to their deployment on a mass scale.

Electric buses can be twice as more expensive than diesel, making them unappealing for many European cities, especially the less wealthy which are usually the ones with the worst air quality, according to T&E.

But with the right incentives in place, they could become a first-choice option.

“Air pollution is a silent killer in our cities,” says Anna Lisa Boni, secretary general of Eurocities, a network of European cities. “To protect the health of citizens, the power of procurement to deploy cleaner bus fleets is one of the tools city authorities are using, alongside promoting walking and cycling and investing in other forms of public transport,” she said.

Electric and diesel buses are already at parity in terms of total cost of ownership (TCO) when the health costs imposed by air and noise pollution are taken into account.

“Electric buses are the superior choice in every respect now. They have no tailpipe emissions, they’re quiet, comfortable and economical,” said Lucien Mathieu, transport and e-mobility analyst at T&E.

“If mayors and regions are serious about tackling the air quality and climate crises, the only rational decision is to buy electric buses from now on,” he said.

Last month, lawmakers in the European Parliament’s environment committee backed a mandate for zero-emission buses, saying they should make up 50% of sales by 2025 and 75% by 2030. The full Parliament will now vote on the motion next week.

What all agree on is that zero and low-emission buses should be further encouraged with public procurement rules.

“For cities struggling with the higher capital cost of zero-emission buses, a grant could be made available through the new EU budget from 2020,” says Lucien Mathieu. This, he says, should be complemented by a Europe-wide zero emission sales target for new buses.

Original source: EURACTIV
Published on 8 November 2018