TLT to adopt electric buses
AS Tallinna Linnatransport continues its bus fleet’s transition into environmentally friendlier vehicles and will be the first in Estonia to adopt electric buses. The winner of last year’s public procurement, Solaris, has signed a contract for the acquisition of 15 electric vehicles, with an option for an additional 15 buses. The first 15 electric buses will arrive in Tallinn on 17 April and they will begin operating in May. The charging infrastructure needed for electric buses is also nearing completion. Said infrastructure must be suitable for northern climate conditions and allow for combined charging.
Tallinn Linnatransport management board member Kaido Padar says that the primary strategic objective of the company is to make public transport more environmentally friendly and that electric buses mark the beginning of a new era in the field. “In addition to buses operating on bio-methane, which currently form the majority of our fleet, we will begin the transition to zero-emission electric vehicles,” he explained. “In the process we will acquire invaluable experience on how electric buses can handle the local climate, how they operate on the road and their passenger comfort.”
Padar confirmed that since public transportation vehicles travel more than 36 million kilometres around Tallinn per year, any changes will have a significant impact on the city’s visual appearance. “The company’s expenses will also decrease thanks to electric buses, since their average energy consumption is around 1.20 kWh, which allows for clear savings when you compare current electricity and fuel prices,” he added. “Our work isn’t limited to merely adopting electric buses, but their application in a purposeful, economically viable and needs-based manner in the interest of the community requires the development of support systems and reinforcing the company’s structures with relevant know-how. We are successfully dealing with that and are ready to share our experiences with other transport companies so that modern electric fleets can reach the streets of other Estonian cities as well.”
Tallinn’s trams and trolleybuses operate 100% on renewable electricity and the electric buses will also be using clean energy. The electric bus acquisition project costs 10.3 million euros, of which 2.6 million will be covered via the support of the Environmental Investment Centre (EIC).
