dr Cassandra Nojdh skrev: ↑fredag 06 mars 2026 13:52
Tur det. Självkörande bussar ska vi ta det lugnt med.
From electrified fleets to autonomous buses: VDV’s Ingo Wortmann outlines priorities for Germany’s public transport sector
Sustainable Bus skrev:The situation is clear: with 144.2 million tonnes of CO₂, the transport sector once again misses its targets, and by 2030 a gap of 169 million tonnes is looming. At the same time, public transport demonstrates that transformation is possible: nearly 5,000 locally emission-free buses – around ten percent of the entire city bus fleet, with the share growing dynamically – are already in operation in Germany. From 2030 onwards, 90% of newly procured city buses must be emission-free. The sector is technologically ready – what is missing is secure financing for the necessary investments.
[...]
On-demand services have clearly moved beyond the pilot phase – today, they are part of a comprehensive transformation of the bus system. This development follows a three-stage trend: from diesel buses to electric buses and, ultimately, to autonomous, digitally connected vehicles in both line-based and on-demand operations.
[...]
The timeline for potential market entry of Level 4 autonomous buses from 2027 remains realistic from the VDV’s perspective – initially, however, in clearly defined operating areas such as shuttle and feeder services. The potential is substantial: recent studies project up to one million networked shuttle and bus vehicles in Germany in the long term to build a nationwide attractive system. In such a public-service scenario, urban road traffic could decrease by up to 11%, while public subsidies could fall by around 20% despite expanded services – due to efficiency gains and higher fare revenues.
Presidenten för den tyska kollektivtrafikbranschens organisation VDV har ett annat perspektiv. Han menar att självkörande bussar kan höja kollektivtrafikens täckningsgrad samtidigt som utbudet ökar. Dessutom påpekar han att branschen inte har något val på grund av den
av skribenten konstaterade förarbristen. Notera vidare att självkörande bussar förlitar sig på avancerade centraldatorer som drivs av just el, och laddning är mindre mekaniskt krävande än tankning.
Samtidigt konstaterar VDV:s president att minst 90 procent av alla nya stadsbussar måste vara utsläppsfria om fyra år, vilket skribenten
ständigt ifrågasätter. Personen i fråga intervjuades av den italienska sajten Sustainable Bus förra veckan. Således måste informationen anses vara aktuell. Wortmann klagar också på bristfällig laddinfrastruktur. Ett intressant alternativ är
så kallad blixtladdning med en kapacitet på 1,5 MW som bland annat utvecklas av BYD och Geely.
Kinetic to deploy 201 zero-emission buses under $446 million Auckland Transport contract
Sustainable Bus skrev:Kinetic is currently the largest mass transit operator in Australasia, with over 12,000 buses and 400 trains operated across seven countries through its various subsidiaries. The group also holds a 51% stake in the UK-based Go-Ahead Group. In late 2025 Kinetic has entered into an agreement with U.S.-based investment firm TPG, under which the latter will acquire a 70 percent equity interest and become the company’s majority shareholder.
The contract includes an investment exceeding NZD121 million (around USD71 million) for the procurement of new zero-emission buses and the development of depot infrastructure and charging capacity. According to the press note, “Kinetic will operate 201 zero-emission buses over the life of the contract, including 125 new vehicles entering service in 2027. Overall, 165 zero-emission buses will be deployed from day one of the central units in July 2027 – the largest single rollout of zero-emission buses at mobilisation in New Zealand”.
The vehicle programme also includes lightweight electric double-decker buses built using aerospace-grade aluminium technology. The design aims to maintain structural strength and passenger capacity while reducing overall vehicle weight.
Elbussar är en global företeelse. Skribenten känner säkert igen Connecting Stockholms ägare Go-Ahead Group. Kinetic är ännu större och satsar på framtiden:
Stacey van der Putten skrev:Aucklanders have really embraced double decker buses since we first introduced them back in 2013 and they have helped to really transform Auckland’s bus network into one of the best in a city of our size.
But double decker buses have traditionally been heavy vehicles that do cause a bit more wear and tear on our roads, so I’m sure my colleagues in road maintenance will be thrilled to hear we’re getting electric double decker buses that are lighter than our current fleet of double deckers.
Observera att de elektriska dubbeldäckarna väger mindre än deras fossila motsvarigheter!