Electric buses have a business case, but continued support is necessary

Against expectations, the COVID-19 pandemic has done nothing to halt the rollout of electric buses in Europe: in fact, 2020 was a record-breaking year. Market leader Solaris, the Poland-based manufacturer, recently reported that despite the challenges faced by the public transport sector, sales reached an all-time high of 1,560 units. Of these, 457 were electric buses, representing 182% growth on the 2019 total of 162 units. Among the biggest orders were 130 articulated electric buses for Warsaw’s public transport network, 90 Urbino electric buses for Milan’s network, and 106 electric buses for Berlin public transport operator BVG.