Northern Italy: Iveco delivers 19 additional battery-electric buses to Rovigo

For the recent acquisition of 19 battery-electric buses, the public transport operator Busitalia Veneto has invested a total of €9.88 million, part of which is funded by the EU and the Italian government. Alongside the existing 25 battery-electric buses, 16 hybrid intercity buses were also purchased this year to enhance public transport in the Rovigo area. Additionally, the purchase of twelve more intercity buses has already been approved for next year—this time, however, with a fully electric powertrain.

A key component of Rovigo’s urban transport electrification, alongside the vehicles themselves, is the modernisation of the bus depot in Via Petrarca. To support the electric buses, a two-megawatt charging system with 30 charging stations has been installed. This facility is designed to charge all battery-electric city buses overnight. Plans for charging the upcoming intercity buses have not yet been disclosed. However, the company stated on LinkedIn: “Busitalia Veneto continues to commit to integrated and sustainable mobility in line with European decarbonisation goals.”

The public transport fleet in Rovigo now primarily consists of the Iveco E-Way. The city operates 17 solo buses in the 12-metre version and eight midibuses measuring 9.5 metres in length. Regardless of size, the procured vehicles offer a range of up to 300 kilometres.

The recent acquisition by Busitalia Veneto is part of a framework agreement from 2023. At that time, the Busitalia Group agreed with the manufacturer to deliver up to 150 fully electric city buses of the E-Way type by the end of 2025. The individual subsidiaries of Busitalia could then call off this volume as required. Incidentally, the first Iveco E-Way buses in Rovigo, which have been in service since 2023, also originate from this batch.

“The new battery-electric buses, combined with the complete refurbishment of the bus depot in Via Petrarca and the transition of the intercity bus fleet to hybrid vehicles, provide a technology mix that delivers high performance while significantly reducing environmental impact,” says Gino Colella, CEO and Managing Director of Busitalia Veneto. “Thanks to substantial investments and effective collaboration with the municipal administration, we now have access to cutting-edge vehicles and infrastructure that improve service quality and the urban landscape.”

sustainable-bus.com, linkedin.com

This article was originally published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition