With the E-bus through Europe's low emission zones

In ten days through eight countries and countless environmental zones. May not seem any different from a traditional travel tour, but it is impressive to see that the journey was covered by an all-electric bus. The MAN Lion's City 12 E-bus travelled a route of around 2500 kilometres as part of the "Electrifying Europe Tour" project.  The aim was to demonstrate the performance of pure E-buses.  

And that is exactly what the bus developed in Munich did. The vehicle proved reliable over the entire duration of the European tour, especially thanks to the battery technology used. A total of 1,763.7 kWh of energy was used - that's around 0.72 kWh/km. An impressive performance made possible by a remarkable recuperation rate of 20.8 % and a battery capacity of 480 kWh. Indeed, six lithium-ion battery packs were placed on the roof of the e-bus for the demanding journey. These were recharged after each daily stage, intermediate charging was never necessary.  

After its start at MAN headquarters, the bus reached its final stop in Limerick on 8 May. But before the bus could arrive in Ireland, the Lion's City 12 had to cross the topographical diversity of the European territories, from the Alpine passes to the flatlands of Normandy. The bus managed this untypical long-distance journey without a hitch, with first stages in Innsbruck, St. Moritz, and Zurich. The bus had to negotiate serpentines, hairpin bends, rapid ascents and even a mountain pass with a difference in altitude of 1,433 metres in order to be able to make its institutional visits to Strasbourg and Brussels. On day seven, the journey continued through the French countryside to Rouen in Normandy. After 417.9 kilometres, the bus still had 24% battery capacity. The following day, after a few photo stops, the bus was able to complete its journey and reach the city of Limerick.  
 
After the journey, the commercial vehicle manufacturer draws a positive balance and seems satisfied with the reliability of the applied vehicle technology. Only the inhomogeneously distributed and sometimes underdeveloped charging infrastructure still leaves something to be desired. This is essential for the transformation of the transport industry and, in MAN's eyes, it would be difficult to expand it without political support.  

Nevertheless, the project has shown that it is already possible to travel throughout Europe without emissions, reliably and in a way that is suitable for everyday use. Whether in city centres, in the countryside or in the mountains, e-buses could meet our mobility needs. The success of the long-distance trial is not only important to the manufacturer. It also sends a positive signal for the further development of e-buses, whose more environmentally friendly transport is almost never restricted by environmental zone regulations. More and more cities are introducing zero-emission zones, such as 30 cities in the Netherlands from 2025. Other low-emission zones in France are also gradually excluding all diesel vehicles - e.g. Paris from 2024. So it is high time for the bus industry to switch to electric in order to be able to continue offering trips in Europe. And who knows, maybe a purely electric long-distance bus could soon take us all on holiday.