VHH opens expanded e-bus depot in Norderstedt

Hamburg-Holstein transport authorities have officially opened their expanded e-bus depot in Norderstedt. The site, which is part-newly built and part-renovated, now features 49 charging points and has space for a total of 60 buses.

Vhh verkehrsbetriebe schleswig holstein norderstedt — Image: vhh.mobility

As early as spring 2021 (DE), vhh.mobility (Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein), opened its first electric bus depot in Schleswig-Holstein in Norderstedt. At that time, ten MAN Lion’s City 12E battery-electric buses were deployed there. The site originally featured twelve charging points, each with a charging capacity of up to 150 kW.

In November 2024 (DE), the company announced plans to upgrade the Hans-Böckler-Ring bus epot into a modern facility. Completion was originally scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, with 45 charging points planned. Over recent months, the depot was extensively rebuilt and partially refurbished, and the expanded facility has now officially opened.

The expanded site covers approximately 11,326 square metres and can accommodate around 60 buses. The charging infrastructure has also exceeded initial expectations: instead of the planned 45 charging points, there are now 49 – 37 of which are newly installed. The charging infrastructure is supplied by Siemens and is based on a so-called Flex charging solution. The total installed capacity is 6.6 MW, with each charging point offering a charging capacity of 150 kW. The charging points are mounted space-efficiently on a traverse, while the power units are installed separately.

The overall system is designed for overnight depot charging. Vehicles can be parked, charged, and prepared for daily operations across eleven lanes. Power is supplied via a dedicated transformer station. According to the company, “this separated and space-saving design ensures particularly efficient use of the available space at the depot,” the company states. According to VHH, a comparable solution is already in use at several of its depots, including Schenefeld and Billbrook.

The operations building has also been adapted to accommodate electric buses. The ground floor houses a washing and maintenance lane, as well as a specially equipped workshop for servicing and maintaining battery-electric buses. A photovoltaic system has been installed on the roof, and the site also utilises geothermal energy.

With this expanded depot, VHH is creating the conditions to support growth of its electric bus fleet in the Hamburg metropolitan region. According to the Segeberg district, 65 per cent of buses in the Norderstedt sub-network 1/2 are expected to be electric by 2028. The complete transition of the fleet was initially targeted for 2030; however, the transport company now aims to achieve this goal ‘by the 2030s’. Other major transport operators, such as Berliner BVG (DE) and Hamburger Hochbahn, have also recently adjusted their timelines for the full electrification of their bus fleets.

vhh-mobility.de (source in German)