Škoda Group will bring its battery trolleybus technology to InnoTrans 2026, with a focus on vehicles that combine overhead electric operation with battery-powered capabilities away from trolleybus infrastructure.
The manufacturer will present its project for Esslingen am Neckar, where it is supplying 52 battery trolleybuses as the German city works towards an all-electric public transport network.
The order comprises ten 12-metre Škoda 32Tr trolleybuses and 42 articulated 18-metre Škoda 33Tr vehicles. Both types can draw power from overhead lines, as well as operate away from the network using traction batteries.
The vehicles will be capable of travelling up to 25 kilometres away from overhead infrastructure, allowing routes to extend beyond existing trolleybus wiring without requiring every section of the route to be electrified.
The Esslingen project also marks Škoda trolleybuses’ return to the German market.
Alongside the vehicles, Škoda will use InnoTrans to demonstrate technologies intended to support the operation and maintenance of electric bus fleets.
Its digital portfolio includes fleet management, predictive diagnostics and Visual Inspection systems. Fleet Management is designed to provide operators with information about vehicle movements and availability, while predictive diagnostics uses operational data and artificial intelligence to identify potential faults before they develop into failures.
Visual Inspection is designed to automate checks of selected vehicle components, identifying damage, deformation and other abnormalities.
Petr Novotný, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Škoda Group said:InnoTrans is where the entire world of public transport comes together, and where we want to demonstrate that Škoda Group today offers much more than individual vehicles. We are able to combine modern rail and road vehicles with digital technologies, signalling systems, drives and other key components. In Berlin, we are also bringing solutions that are no longer merely a vision of the future – they have been proven in everyday operation and help our customers in different countries make public transport more attractive, safer and more efficient.
The group’s focus on battery technology extends beyond its trolleybus range. The Esslingen trolleybuses will be presented at InnoTrans on 22 September, alongside Škoda’s new-generation battery-electric train and ForCity Plus 52T tram.
The company’s wider InnoTrans programme will also include presentations on digital technologies, signalling and components, as well as a panel discussion with German public transport operators on the future of urban transport.
