In the sunny country of Spain, residents of Valladolid will soon be able to enjoy some more fresh air with that sun. Public transport provider AUVASA (Autobuses Urbanos de Valladolid) has ordered 30 zero-emission electric buses from Irizar e-mobility, based in Spain. AUVASA has also ordered charging infrastructure for those electric buses from Irizar e-mobility.
Irizar ie tram electric bus at night. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
Just over a third of these electric buses, 11, will be delivered by the end of 2022. Óscar Puente, Mayor of Valladolid; Luis Ángel Vélez, Councilor for Mobility and Urban Space of the City of Valladolid; and Álvaro Fernández, general manager of AUVASA, felt so good about the order that they paid a visit to Irizar e-mobility on Monday. That implies that they may be so excited about the switch to electric transport that more orders will follow once these first buses hit the road and show what they can do. (As if there aren’t enough electric bus demonstration projects in Europe and the world to convince any transit operator to order 100% electric buses from now on.)
“We are extremely proud of the trust that AUVASA and the City of Valladolid have placed in us to initiate the electric transformation of their fleet. They decided to choose the Irizar ie tram. It is a bus that, through its modern and innovative design, gives the city a unique appearance while maximizing comfort, accessibility and safety for drivers and passengers. The low CO2 and noise emissions and the great passenger experience make the Irizar ie tram a particularly suitable bus for use in urban centers,” said Txema Otero, commercial director for Spain and Portugal of Irizar e-mobility.
Irizar ie charging tram electric bus with pantograph charging system. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
The battery packs for the Irizar ie tram each have a capacity of 630 kWh. These are not your little electric cars!
As for the charging of those large batteries, “they will have a dual charging system consisting of a reverse pantograph and smart plug-in charging in the garage, manufactured by Jema Energy, a company of the Irizar Group.
“With the reverse pantograph charging system, communication between the bus and charger is established when a bus arrives at the garage and the pantograph is lowered automatically. The system is compatible with almost all electric buses on the market and makes the daily charging process easier.”
That sounds like the kind of convenience a transit operator craves.
Irizar ie tram electric bus at night. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
As for some technical details, the electric buses each contain:
- 43 seats
- 3 wheelchair areas
- 4 PPE seats
- capacity for 105 passengers
- 4 doors
- 29″ multimedia screens
- USB charging ports.
In addition, the electric buses are leaping into the future in terms of rear visibility and advanced safety features – “to improve safety and ensure passengers have a comfortable journey, the buses will have cameras instead of rear-view mirrors that provide forward visibility. , extending to the side and rear, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), pedestrian and bicyclist protection, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring the cabinet.”
This sounds like an overall victory for the city of Valladolid, its residents, bus drivers, Irizar e-mobility and the climate.
Irizar ie tram electric buses. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
As a final note, in my opinion, the Irizar ie tram is one of the coolest buses I’ve ever seen. We need more of this!
Irizar ie tram electric buses. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
Irizar ie tram electric bus. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
Irizar ie tram electric bus. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
Irizar ie tram electric bus. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
Irizar ie tram electric bus. Image courtesy of Irizar e-mobility.
Check out our brand new E-BikeGuide† If you’re curious about electric bikes, this is the best place to start your e-mobility journey!
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