Copenhagen will have only electric buses by 2030
Mobility — di Emanuele Rigitano
Copenhagen announces forty-one new electric buses for 2019 on two lines, and the intention to replace all old diesel models by 2030.
Copenhagen will have only electric buses by 2030
Copenhagen announces forty-one new electric buses for 2019 on two lines, and the intention to replace all old diesel models by 2030.
Forty-one new electric buses are coming to Copenhagen in 2019, replacing diesel vehicles on two public transport lines. Movia, the company that manages public transport in the Danish capital, has confirmed that line 2A, together with line 18 — reactivated specifically for the initiative — will be served by the new electric buses.
Sidder i bussen. Mobilen er på 2 pct 😱 Hov, hvad er det? Jo, der er såmænd stik i de nye bybusser. God stil @moviatrafik. Jeg elsker når den kollektive trafik overrasker positivt 👍🚌
Translation: "I'm sitting on the bus. My phone is at 2% battery. Hey, what's this? Yes, there are connectors on the new city buses. Classy @moviatrafik. I love it when public transport gives you a pleasant surprise."
Only electric buses in Copenhagen from 2030
Copenhagen's municipal administration has also set the goal of replacing all old buses with electrically powered ones by 2030. Copenhagen is already working to renew its bus fleet, replacing Euro 4 models with the Euro 6 standard. Older buses, particularly those more than ten years old, can emit between one hundred and one thousand times the ultrafine particulate matter of newer models, which are fitted with filters capable of capturing this particulate matter.
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"We are working hard in Copenhagen to replace all existing buses with green alternatives as much as possible, so that citizens will be able to breathe freely without fear for their health," said Lord Mayor Frank Jensen in a press release.
Movia's Chief Executive Officer, Dorthe Nøhr Pedersen, also expressed enthusiasm for the green conversion of public transport in the Danish capital. "Movia will have contracts with three different authorities for the operation of electric buses, and we are very pleased to see more operators joining the green agenda," Pedersen told Politiken.
Henrik Gudmundsson, a researcher at Concito, an independent Danish think tank focused on raising awareness of climate change and its solutions, welcomes the decision but says more could be done.
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"This is positive, it is the right path (…) However, pollution generated by buses represents only a small part of total pollution, which is why more should be done so that Copenhagen's residents can breathe freely without worrying about their health," he added in response to Jensen's comment. According to Henrik Gudmundsson, carbon dioxide emissions from buses account for around seven per cent of what is generated by Copenhagen's traffic, and around ten per cent when particulate pollution is taken into account.
The hope is that the decision to replace all fuel-powered buses with electric ones will nonetheless make a meaningful contribution to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Copenhagen.