District wants to convert: priority for "clean" electric buses

Created: 02/11/2022, 05:30

By: Charlotte Borst

Finding space for charging stations is the biggest challenge in the changeover.

© DPA/ Robert Michael

The MVV regional buses are to become cleaner.

By 2026, the district wants to convert at least 15 bus lines to electric or hydrogen.

District

– The mobility committee of the district council decided with a large majority that the district office and the MVV should work out a schedule and a concept together.

"The ambition of the district is to convert all lines where this is possible as quickly as possible," said District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU).

Expert Sandra Höner from the TKK and Blic offices compared the costs of switching to electric and hydrogen drives for 15 lines that are due to be reassigned in 2026.

Her conclusion: "We recommend relying primarily on electric buses." However, three additional buses and drivers would be necessary because of the longer charging processes.

Fuel cell buses would be more expensive

For the 15 lines examined, operating fuel cell buses over a ten-year period would be significantly more expensive than battery buses.

The additional costs for electric operation compared to diesel operation are 18 to 20 percent.

Running on green hydrogen would be 60 percent more expensive than running on diesel.

The reason is the hydrogen price of currently 9 euros per kilogram.

Only if this were to drop to 5 euros per kilo would the costs be as high as with diesel operation.

There is no funding yet

There are currently no subsidies for electric buses, but they are expected later this year.

For the purchase and charging stations of 15 electric buses, the district can expect 15.45 million euros, it still has additional costs of 9 million compared to diesel operation.

The preparatory work in the district office has already started, said Göbel, "other districts are not that far." The district may be able to convert more than 15 bus routes, because a further ten routes are due to be reassigned in 2026.

But that is time-consuming: timetables have to be coordinated, the construction of charging stations has to be clarified in part with other districts and the city of Munich, after all the lines do not end at the district border.

Expert Sandra Höner made this clear using the example of route 295.

It starts in Oberschleißheim, travels to the Helmholtz Center and ends at the Hart subway station in Munich.

That's where the charging station would be.

However, it saves money by building stations at which several lines can charge.

New job for a project manager needed

Because the organizational effort is great, the district finances the position of a project manager at MVV GmbH.

The district councils have decided against creating a job in the district office themselves.

In favor of a close cooperation, the work should be located at the MVV.

In the 2022 budget, 100,000 euros are earmarked for the position.

Green district councilor and member of the state parliament Markus Büchler hopes "that Bavaria will open up its wallet a bit, because all municipalities now have the task of converting their buses." before.

Ordeal for the household

Ottobrunn's Mayor Thomas Loderer (CSU) is less optimistic about the costs: "At some point it will tear our budget apart," he complained and requested that the most cost-effective conversion option be chosen, which just meets the EU directive and funding criteria.

Stefan Schelle and his CSU faction supported this advance, but could not prevail with 7:11.

Loderer sees another difficulty in the lack of space, often there was no place for loading.

Höner agreed with him: "The lack of space is the biggest challenge when converting to the electric drive."

Hydrogen buses could make sense at the planned fuel cell filling station in Hofolding.

Lines 214, 216, 223, 226 and 244 are being examined in depth for this purpose.