Electric buses from Berliner BVG have a cold problem 

Image credit: bus-bild.de

An attempt to put some of the blame on a tractor protest by farmers, holding up traffic, sounds a bit weak. A solution adopted by some e-bus builders is to use fuel-powered heating systems, described here as ‘an absolute oxymoron for the electric vehicle industry’.
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By 2030, Berlin wants all local public transport buses to be electric, says the Teller Report.

Passengers and drivers are already experiencing what this can mean in a cold winter.

Apparently one type of vehicle in particular causes problems.

According to information from The “Berliner Morgenpost” newspaper, a dozen of the electric buses operated by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) are currently out of action.

In the report, which relies on information from corporate circles, there is talk of 23 failures on Monday alone, on the bus routes that are operated electrically.

Instead of electric vehicles, diesel vehicles were driven again.

The problem was the double-digit temperatures in the minus range – and their consequences for the vehicles.

According to the “Morgenpost”, the buses that were charged overnight in the depots “for the most part” did not reach their range and could therefore not be used, as stated in an internal statement from the BVG, from which the newspaper quotes.

BVG spokeswoman Petra Nelken confirmed to the newspaper that a particular type of bus caused problems, namely the twelve-meter-long bus from the manufacturer Solaris.

“According to the contract and specifications, they have to drive 130 kilometers even at minus ten degrees, but not all of them managed that.”

Continued here.