Electric-Powered Buses To Start Trials In Athens, Greece

Photo: The 'Irizar e-mobility' is the latest electric bus being tested on the streets of Athens. Credit: Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

The Greek capital of Athens has revealed a new fleet of electric buses that are part of the city's attempt to reduce its carbon footprint. The buses will start running from Monday.

The sleek and futuristic-looking buses were revealed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Costas Karamanlis, and Deputy Minister, Giannis Kefalogiannis, as they took a ride on a bus in front of the media.

As Karamanlis stepped on the bus he said:

"Let's go towards the new era of electrification."

The buses are built by Spanish electric company Irizar e-mobility and will run on the Ano Kypseli – Pagrati – Kaisariani routes. However, several other e-vehicle companies are bidding for further contracts to move the Athenian bus service into an electric only service. It is hoped that by 2022 Athens will have the highest number of electric buses of any city in Europe.

Those companies competing for further contracts include a Chinese company and two European companies. The success and viability of these new electric buses will guide how the city, and many other cities, approach electric bus travel in the future.

Athens suffers from fairly severe pollution as a result of dense living conditions, warm temperatures and a high level of traffic in relatively narrow streets, therefore the entering of electric buses to the city will be a more than welcome move. A substantial part of the funding for the buses is coming from the EU financial recovery package designed to help countries recover from the economic downturn of the last year.

Among difficulties, any new electric bus system will take is the cost and difficulty of bringing into place any electric transportation system is the charging points and other infrastructure related to electric travel.

Despite the pandemic, Athens has seen a 50% rise in the number of mass transit vehicles, a sign of hope that the days of widespread pollution are on their way out.

[h/t: Greek Reporter]