New Škoda Transportation Electric Buses Are Heading to Prague
Škoda Electric of the Škoda Transportation Group has won a contract for fourteen new electric buses for the Prague Transportation Company. The capital will acquire a fleet of modern environmentally friendly vehicles that do not produce carbon dioxide emissions and thus contribute to cleaner air and a more harmonious environment in the city. This is another success story of the Škoda Transportation Group under its new owner, the PPF Group. The value of the contract, including possible options, is worth up to 207 million crowns, and this will be the first delivery of electric buses carried out by Škoda in cooperation with its Turkish affiliate Temsa.
Chairman of the Board and President of Škoda Transportation, Petr Brzezina, said:I am pleased that Škoda has succeeded in this tender. We will supply vehicles to our capital that do not burden the environment in any way, that operate quietly and, in addition, have low operating costs, making their operation sustainable in the long run. It will be a new 12-meter completely low-floor bus with comfortable equipment like full-vehicle air conditioning, comfortable seats, a sophisticated information system and advanced energy management of the entire vehicle fleet.
The delivery also includes a possible option for technical support for the future development of other information system and energy management functions (e.g. remote monitoring of consumption or checking battery status) or battery replacements during the projected life of the buses. Furthermore, software and hardware for diagnosing vehicle faults and static chargers for night charging at the depot. Škoda will deliver a complete fleet of electric buses twelve months after signing the contract. This is the first order for electric buses where Škoda will cooperate with its Turkish affiliate Temsa.
Škoda electric buses offer a unique design with two-pole charging and a galvanically insulated charger in the bus. This type of charging is currently planned for 15-30 minutes at one end station, replenishing part of the total battery capacity and allowing the bus to complete the next circuit. The advantage of this design is having ideal control of the bus’s energy balance, as well as the low cost of the charging infrastructure.
Member of the Board of Directors and Senior Vice President for Sales of the Škoda Transportation Group and Member of the Board of Directors of Temsa, Zdeněk Majer, said:For the sake of clarity, this means that during the day, when the bus is running, recharging will be done from the existing tram line with the help of a pantograph. I am glad that the Prague Transport Company will acquire the latest ŠKODA E'City electric bus. It will thus benefit from the acquisition of Temsa by the PPF Group, which has substantially enhanced the Škoda Group in the field of wheeled vehicles.
Electric buses equipped with this type of charging equipment have in fact a longer daily range and greater flexibility for deployment on various lines. We have already delivered vehicles with the same technical design, for example, to České Budějovice, Zlín and Žilina in Slovakia. Other Škoda electric buses are running in Třinec, Trutnov and another Slovak city, Šaľa.
Škoda Electric is one of the largest European manufacturers of trolleybuses. During its time as a trolleybus maker, it has delivered more than 14,500 trolleybuses to the domestic and foreign markets. Czech trolleybuses run in about thirty countries around the world and on three continents – in Europe, Asia and North America.
TEMSA CEO, Tolga Doğancıoğlu, said:With the technological transformation in the world, the interest shifting towards electric vehicles continues to increase day by day. Especially in Europe, we see that significant steps have been taken to accelerate this transformation and to lay the infrastructure for a sustainable and green urban transport system. The Czech Republic, the home of Škoda Transportation, is one of the most eco-conscious countries on environmentally friendly vehicles and reducing carbon emission. We believe that the fleet of 14 electric vehicles we deliver will set an example for the vision of 'Smart cities' with its economical, comfortable, safe and environmentally friendly structure as well as keeping up with the modern architecture of the city.
We are very pleased to be delivering our first fleet of electric buses, produced with joint technology with our sister company, Škoda Transportation, to Prague. We, as TEMSA, maintaining our R&D studies to ensure that we are among the game-changer companies of the industry in the field of electric vehicles. Within this context, thanks to the power and know-how of our joint technology, I believe that Škoda Transportation and TEMSA will achieve bigger success stories in different markets in the upcoming period.
The new E’City electric bus for a Prague transport company is 12 meters long, and its design speed is 80 km/h. E’City is a fully low-floor, emission-free, battery-powered vehicle that has a guaranteed range of more than 100 kilometers on a single charge. Its charging power is up to 150kW, and charging takes place using a double arm pantograph located on the vehicle and an on-board galvanically isolated charger directly from the 600V/750V DC network. There is also the option of plug-in overnight charging in the depot from a socket. Air conditioning and heating are also purely electronic, and the driver’s cab is closed due to higher safety requirements.
There is naturally also a space for prams and wheelchairs, as well as places for people with reduced mobility. The electric bus will be equipped with a modern information and check-in system, including automatic passenger counting and equipment for the blind. There will also be a camera system for passenger safety.
This article was originally published by ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION a.s..
