‘Swiss eBus plus’ the new battery electric bus

“Swiss eBus plus” is a pilot project supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy to develop a new design of energy-efficient electric bus to be made in Switzerland. At the end of July 2024, the vehicle will be handed over to VBZ (Zurich Public Transport), where it will be used for test purposes. From September 2024, it will go into operation on the neighbourhood bus routes 35, 38, 39, 40, 42, 64 and 73. The project will run until 2026.

The implementation of the VBZ strategy for electric buses is progressing in leaps and bounds. Electrically powered buses now account for over 50 percent of the total bus fleet. VBZ are now operating battery-powered buses, which are recharged in the depot, on neighbourhood, standard and articulated bus routes. Although the technology around battery-driven buses continues to make great progress, battery-powered buses still have a shorter range than diesel buses. 

Project “Swiss eBus plus” has therefore constructed a demonstration vehicle based on new findings from research and development in the areas vehicle body insulation and heating/air conditioning. The battery bus has a comprehensive thermal management system and new technologies for the drivetrain, heating, air conditioning and insulation. Among other things, this enables the elimination of fossil fuel-based auxiliary heating as well as an increase in range. 

In early June the vehicle will be presented to an audience of industry professionals at a bus convention in Thun. The vehicle will go into service from September 2024 on the neighbourhood bus routes 35, 38, 39, 40, 42, 64 and 73.         

Project “Swiss eBus plus” will run until 2026 and was launched by HESS AG in collaboration with Zurich Public Transport. Project partners ETH Zurich and the Bern University of Applied Sciences are using the project as a research platform for investigations into thermal management and battery technology. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy is supporting the project through its funding programme for energy research.

follow the project on www.swissebusplus.ch