New vehicle charging facilities at Dublin Bus’ Summerhill Depot have been completed and are due to enter operation this week.
Works to install the 56 battery-electric bus chargers have concluded this week, with the operator’s first vehicles to use the facilities set to begin performing full passenger services.
The new infrastructure, which joins Phibsborough Depot in becoming the second of two hubs installed for the capital’s new green fleet, was unveiled by the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Dublin Bus. Together, the two depots are capable of supporting a minimum of 136 electric buses.
Recent weeks have seen the introduction of new double-deck battery-electric buses on several Dublin Bus routes across the city, with more than 360 drivers being given extensive training, completing a series of extensive tests, and piloting and training with the new buses. With the completion of the Summerhill Depot, more buses are expected to enter rotation imminently.
“This change is being driven by electricity as we begin to see the introduction of electric buses on the streets of our capital and then our other cities and towns. This is going to be transformative for our public transport network. It’s going to make our air cleaner and our streets quieter, providing quality and reliable buses for people, and helping us to meet our climate targets for the capital city, and for the country.”
Following an initial order of 120 double-deck battery-electric buses in 2022 from manufacturer Wrightbus in 2022, NTA has placed orders for a further 221 buses, of which 120 are set for operation within Dublin. The new zero-emission fleet will replace the city’s diesel-powered vehicles on an incremental basis as they gradually reach obsolescence, with a target of 85% of its vehicles to be replaced with zero-emission buses by 2032.
The NTA is currently on schedule to meet its low/zero emission vehicle targets by the end of 2025 in line with the Climate Action Plan, the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy (GDA) and the National Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan 2022-2025.
