Germany has announced plans to become greenhouse gas (GhG)-neutral by 2045. The federal government has set the preliminary targets of cutting emissions by at least 65 per cent by 2030 compared to the 1990 levels, and by 88 per cent by 2040.
As of January 2021, Germany’s emission levels are currently 40 per cent lower than they were in 1990, which means that the country requires a further reduction of 25 per cent over the next nine years. Emissions from the transport sector are planned to be reduced to 48.1 per cent by 2030. However, as of January 2022, emissions from the transport sector have only been reduced by 11 per cent compared to the 1990 levels.
Around 80,000 buses are currently registered in Germany, of which 40,000–55,000 are deployed in the public transport sector. The majority of the buses are still powered by diesel engines.
In order to achieve the climate targets of both Germany and Europe, the fleet emission and minimum procurement targets have been tightened at the national and European levels. As per the Clean Vehicle Directive, by 2025, 45 per cent of new purchases must be ‘clean vehicles’, and half of them (22.5 per cent) should be emission-free.
Growth of zero-emission buses in Germany
In the last four years, the number of zero-emission buses (ZEBs) (battery and fuel cell) in the country has increased by almost seven times. Only 198 buses (183 electric and 15 fuel cell) were registered till December 2017 in comparison to 1,360 buses till December 2021. The deployment of electric buses has increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.23 per cent.
At the end of December 2021, around 1,360 zero-emission buses and 4,516 alternative-fuelled buses were registered in Germany. Figure 1 presents the fuel-wise distribution of these buses.
Figure 1: Registered clean buses in Germany as of January 1, 2022
Source: NOW GmbH
In Germany, Solaris, Mercedes-Benz (EvoBus), VDL, VanHool, and BYD hold a market share of more than 80 per cent.
Charging strategy and technology for electric buses: The current strategy of German public transport companies is to implement and encourage overnight/depot charging (56 per cent) in comparison to opportunity charging along the route (44 per cent).
In terms of the technology used for charging buses, the plug-in method dominates, with a share of 62 per cent, while the docking method accounts for 38 per cent.
Funding from the federal government
The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMVI) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMU) have funded more than 99 projects across 80 German transport companies for the deployment of zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure.
Zero-emission buses funded by the federal government
BMVI and BMU have funded the deployment of more than 1,911 buses. Of these, 96 per cent are electric buses and 4 per cent are fuel cell buses. BMVI has funded 363 zero-emission buses, of which around 81 per cent are electric (battery) and 19 per cent are powered by fuel cell. BMU has funded 1,548 buses, of which all are electric (battery). Table 1 provides an overview of the buses funded by the federal government.
Table 1: Charging infrastructure projects funded by the federal government
| Fuel type | Total no. of buses | Buses funded by BMVI | Buses funded by BMU |
| Battery | 1,841 | 293 | 1,548 |
| Fuel cell | 70 | 70 | – |
Source: Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) as of December 2020
Of the total buses funded by BMVI and BMU, 39 per cent (749 buses) are already deployed and 54 per cent (1,035 buses) are planned to be deployed. Information on around 7 per cent of the total buses is not available. Around 58 per cent (1,128 buses) are standard, 40 per cent (775 buses) are articulated, and 1 per cent (26 buses) are midi.
Charging infrastructure projects funded by the federal government
More than 1,389 charging stations/ charging points are funded by BMVI and BMU. A charging station usually has one or two charging points. One charging point is normally planned for each bus.
BMU has funded a total of 1,133 charging stations/charging points. As of July 2021, around 57 per cent (646 projects) of the total charging stations/charging points are deployed and the remaining 35 per cent (397 projects) are planned to be installed. Of the total, 80 per cent (906 projects) are designed for depot charging and 13 per cent (147 projects) are designed for opportunity charging. Details of the remaining 7 per cent are not available.
BMVI has funded a total of 256 charging stations/charging points. Of these, 86 per cent (221 projects) are already deployed, and 14 per cent (35 projects) are planned to be deployed. Of the total charging stations/charging points, 97 per cent (249 projects) are designed for depot charging and 3 per cent (seven projects) are designed for opportunity charging.
In addition, BMVI has also funded three hydrogen refuelling stations for two transport authorities. Of these, two refuelling stations are operated by Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) in Cologne. Table 2 provides an overview of the charging infrastructure projects funded by the federal government.
Table 2: Charging infrastructure projects funded by the federal government
| Type of charging | Total no. of charging stations/charging points funded | Chargers funded by BMVI | Chargers funded by BMU |
| Projects completed | 867 | 221 | 646 |
| Projects planned to be completed | 432 | 35 | 397 |
Note: Information on the 90 chargers funded by BMU is not available.
Source: Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) as of December 2020
BMVI and BMU have provided support for the deployment of more than 1,861 bus chargers. Of these, 61 per cent of the total funded chargers are overnight/ depot-charging chargers, and 29 per cent are opportunity-charging chargers. Table 3 provides details of the chargers funded by BMVI and BMU.
Table 3: Number of chargers funded by the federal government
| Type of charging | Total no. of bus chargers funded | Chargers funded by BMVI | Chargers funded by BMU |
| Depot charging | 1,333 | 270 | 863 |
| Opportunity charging | 542 | 23 | 519 |
| Catenary charging | 20 | 20 | – |
Note: Information on the 166 chargers funded by BMU is not available.
Source: Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) as of December 2020
Expected growth by 2031
Global Mass Transit Research, as part of its Europe Bus Market Outlook Report 2022–2031, has analysed the current status of the bus market, the future plans to procure buses and deploy infrastructure, and the forecast of bus demand in 30 countries in Europe.
Around 14,950 zero-emission buses are estimated to be deployed in Germany by 2031. Figure 2 provides details of the expected demand for zero-emission buses by 2031.
Figure 2: Expected demand for zero-emission buses in Germany by 2031
Open tenders
The following tenders are currently under bidding:
- IOV Omnibusverkehr GmbH Ilmenau invited bids to supply 15 low-entry buses. Each bus should be 12 metres long. The last date for submission of bids is February 18, 2022.
- Brodschelm Verkehrsbetrieb GmbH invited bids to supply six low-floor buses. Each bus should be 14.40 metres long. Each bus should be equipped with a Euro-6 emissions standards engine. The last date for submission of bids is February 22, 2022.
- REVG Rhein-Erft-Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH invited bids to supply 26 low-floor hybrid buses equipped with hydrogen fuel cells. The last date for submission of bids is February 28, 2022.
- Stadtwerke Münster GmbH invited bids to supply 24 low-floor articulated electric buses. Each bus should be 18 metres long. The last date for submission of bids is March 4, 2022.
Recent developments
The following developments were recorded in the last three months:
- In January 2022, the following developments were recorded:
- Spain-based Irizar secured an order from Rheinbahn to supply eight 12-metre electric buses for deployment in Dusseldorf. The buses will have a battery capacity of 350 kWh and a maximum output of 180 kW.
- Ebusco secured an order from Stadtwerke München to supply 14 Ebusco 2.2 18-metre buses. The buses will be deployed in Munich and are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2023.
- In December 2021, Mercedes-Benz secured an order for 15 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and 24 Citaro G hybrid buses from Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG). The eCitaro buses will have a battery capacity of 441 kWh and will have charging sockets on both sides.
- In November 2021, the following developments were recorded:
- BYD delivered five 12-metre electric buses to Deutsche Bahn (DB). The buses will be deployed in Karlsruhe.
- FlixMobility, Freudenberg Fuel Cell e-Power Systems, and ZF Friedrichshafen AG formed a consortium to develop a high-performance fuel cell system for long-distance buses. The HyFleet research project has received an official letter of intent (LoI) confirmation from the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. FlixMobility plans to test and launch the new technology in Europe by 2024.
This article has been sourced from Global Mass Transit
