Mandate Established by Land BW: Definitive Allocations for Electric Buses
The EU industry agreement on clean and emission-free vehicle powertrains for buses sets specific quotas that require a significant shift in new bus sales towards zero-emission vehicles and clean technologies by 2025.
The agreement, signed by Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann (Greens) and Franz Schweizer, President of the Association of Baden-Württemberg Omnibus Companies e.V. (WBO), aims for a majority, if not all, new buses to be zero-emission or powered by clean technologies such as battery electric or hydrogen fuel cells.
The agreement outlines a coordinated reporting and evaluation process to ensure that quotas are met. This process collects data on the vehicles acquired by transport companies. The WBO and its members have committed to actively contributing to data collection and reporting within the agreement.
Under the agreement, at least 45% of newly acquired buses must be clean by 2025. Half of these clean buses must be emission-free, as per the agreement. Buses emitting less than one gram of CO2 per kilometer are considered emission-free, according to the EU directive.
The law obliges public authorities and transport companies to adhere to binding quotas for clean and emission-free vehicle powertrains when procuring buses. The agreement allows for flexible and joint implementation of quotas by offsetting the fulfillment rates of individual transport companies and task carriers.
The WBO has agreed to promote the achievement of the legally prescribed minimum quotas for bus procurement. By joining the agreement, they are sending a strong signal for the transport transition in Baden-Württemberg. WBO President Franz Schweizer stated that joining the agreement enables efficient climate protection in cooperation with other federal states.
Minister Hermann stated that by joining the agreement, they are taking a significant step towards achieving the EU's goal of sustainable transport and climate neutrality by 2050. The agreement is part of a broader EU strategy for the electrification and decarbonization of public transport fleets.
While the exact percentage quotas for buses in 2025 are not explicitly provided in the current search results, industry and EU climate targets broadly indicate strong commitments to zero-emission bus fleets by 2025. For example, for road vehicles in general, the EU has set goals that all new passenger cars, buses, and light commercial vehicles entering the market by 2025 should be zero emission.
WBO President Franz Schweizer emphasized that cross-border cooperation is essential for achieving climate goals due to tight public finances and high investment costs in vehicles and charging infrastructure. The agreement facilitates efficient and cooperative implementation of quotas among transport companies and task carriers.
In summary, the EU industry agreement requires an increasing quota of clean and emission-free buses by 2025, aiming for a majority if not all new buses to be zero emission or powered by clean technologies such as battery electric or hydrogen fuel cells. The goal includes making all new buses zero emission by 2030, with intermediate 2025 standards pushing strongly toward clean fleet transition.
- The agreement in the EU, signed by Minister Winfried Hermann and Franz Schweizer, aims for the majority of new buses to be zero-emission or powered by clean technologies like battery electric or hydrogen fuel cells by 2025, as part of the broader strategy for the electrification and decarbonization of public transport fleets.
- Under the agreement, at least 45% of newly acquired buses must be clean by 2025, with half of these being emission-free, considering buses emitting less than one gram of CO2 per kilometer as emission-free according to the EU directive.
- The WBO, President Franz Schweizer, and its members have committed to actively contributing to data collection and reporting within this agreement, emphasizing the importance of cross-border cooperation for achieving climate goals due to tight public finances and high investment costs in vehicles and charging infrastructure.
- The agreement also allows for flexible and joint implementation of quotas by offsetting the fulfillment rates of individual transport companies and task carriers, promoting the achievement of the legally prescribed minimum quotas for bus procurement in line with the industry's and EU's commitments to zero-emission bus fleets by 2025 and beyond.
