Skoda Group receives further order for trolleybuses from Czechia

Skoda Group has signed a framework agreement with the transport company of the Czech city of Ústí nad Labem for the delivery of up to 30 new articulated trolleybuses. The contract also includes the delivery of six charging stations.

Skoda group skoda 33tr elektrobus electric bus — Image: Skoda Group

According to the Skoda Group, Ústí nad Labem has one of the newest trolleybus networks in the Czech Republic. It was only put into operation in 1988. Over the course of more than 3.5 decades, it has “developed into the backbone of local public transport.” Today, the network covers most of the city and is also intended to ‘provide a reliable connection in hilly areas where other modes of transport are difficult to use’.

It is therefore hardly surprising that the Czech city is constantly expanding its trolleybus network. Last year, two of the three modernisation phases for the trolleybus network were initiated, and completion is set to continue this year, according to reports. This includes increasing the number of battery-electric trolleybuses, which has improved public transport connections to the city’s outskirts.

By the end of 2024, the public transport company DMÚL already had a fleet of 75 trolleybuses, all supplied by the Skoda Group. The framework agreement now signed, worth 650 million Czech koruna (approx. 26.7 million euros), for the delivery of up to 30 new articulated trolleybuses was also concluded with the Skoda Group. However, it is unclear when the new vehicles are to be delivered. The same applies to the six charging stations that are part of the order.

What is clear, however, is that the electric buses are 18-metre-long Skoda 33Tr models. The electric articulated bus is powered by two electric motors, each with 160 kW (320 kW in total). They get the energy they need from the overhead line system with a supply voltage of 600 V. A traction battery with a capacity of “at least 57 kWh” is designed to provide a purely electric range of twelve kilometres in areas without overhead lines. When the battery is empty, it can be charged via CCS. The electric buses for Ústí nad Labem are also equipped with numerous safety and comfort features.

Source: Info via email, dpmul.cz (in Czech)

This article was first published by Daniel Bönnighausen for electrive’s German edition.