Ebusco to deliver ten electric buses to Belgium

Ebusco has received a new order from the Belgian operator Multiobus for ten electric buses. The ten Ebusco 2.2s are to go into service in the province of Flemish Brabant from spring 2021.

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The ten new Ebusco 2.2 electric buses will complement two existing ones that Multiobus has been operating in Tienen and the surrounding area for almost two years. When it comes to charging, Multiobus wants to generate some of the electricity for the electric buses itself and has installed solar collectors and stationary battery storage units for this purpose.
The 12-metre buses can transport up to 90 passengers and should be able to travel between 250 and 350 kilometres on one battery charge. There are no plans for quick charging on the road, the batteries will be charged overnight at the depot.

However, it is possible to retrofit the vehicles with a pantograph on the roof, Ebusco said in a press release. “Then they can easily complete a full day shift and it provides extra flexibility when the electric buses are deployed on a range of bus lines,” states the company.

With the charging concept and its own eco-power, Multiobus not only wants to be climate-friendly on the road but also cheaper. “As a result, the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of this electric Ebusco bus must be almost equal to the traditional diesel bus”, says Olivier van Mullem, CEO of Multiobus.

The order for Multiobus comes as no surprise. Multiobus is a subcontractor for the Flemish transport company De Lijn. The Flemish coalition agreement stipulates that all buses in Flemish cities must be emission-free by 2025 and in the whole of Flanders by 2035. As part of this, De Lijn will have to convert some 970 buses in its own fleet and those of subcontractors, as reported.

Update 23 November 2020: Multiobus has selected Heliox as charging infrastructure partner for its electric buses. Heliox will supply the depot charging infrastructure for the total of twelve electric buses that will be used in the Tienen area. The units will be installed in a new, recently built depot.

ebusco.com, heliox.nl (update)