Electric buses like the MAN Lion’s City 12 E make public transport stop smoking
In Switzerland, electric buses in the city are actually nothing special: while other countries had given up trolleybuses (and are sometimes rediscovering them), Switzerland has always remained true to trolleybuses – also thanks to local providers such as the bus giant Hess from Bellach SO.
But overhead lines are not everywhere, especially not in rural areas. In addition to more and more electric trucks, more and more e-buses are coming into play. Two examples: Postauto AG wants to operate 100 electric and hydrogen buses by 2024. From autumn, the Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ) will procure 15 solo buses of exactly the type that MAN is sending on its European tour.
European tour via Zurich
The city with fixed routes and times at even distances is the parade route for the MAN Lion’s City 12 E. But MAN’s 2,500-kilometer tour should show that electric works over land. In ten days, the electric bus traveled from Munich (D) via Zurich, Strasbourg (F) and Brussels (B) to intelligent Limerick. Distance: 2500 kilometers – with 72 kWh per 100 kilometers.
A great value, among other things, commercial E-SUVs often need more than 25 kWh – without having more than 40 seats. This is made possible by efficient technology: The recuperation rate on the European trip was almost 21 percent – the bus recovered a fifth of the energy. In the city, 40 percent would be possible with 300 kW recuperation capacity. Every stop generates electricity again.
Batteries are on the roof
Six lithium-ion batteries with 480 kWh sit on the roof so as not to sacrifice any space inside. On the tour, realistically, the bus depots were recharged with 150 kW. “In 2025, around half of all new buses will have an electric drive,” estimates Viktor Schaub, Product Marketing MAN, “by 2030 we expect an electric share of 80 to 90 percent.”
The Lion’s City 12 E is available in a 12 meter version and as an 18 meter articulated bus. The rear electric motor delivers 218 hp (160 kW), has a whopping 2100 Nm and briefly boosts 326 hp (240 kW) and 3400 Nm. The range is 550 kilometers in city driving, and on the European tour with an average of 41 km/h (limited top 83 km/h) it was mostly over 400.
Price about twice as high
With a base price of CHF 550,000, an electric vehicle is twice as expensive as a diesel. But running costs are lower, and the cleaner air and less noise leave little choice. “In some countries there are tenders in which only electric buses are permitted,” Schaub tells us.
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