The following article (translated from Dutch by Google) is from...

The following article (translated from Dutch by Google) is from the NRC Handelsblad: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/10/17/de-schone-bus-komt-er-aan-4858046-a1527010

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They are twice as expensive as diesel buses. They have to be recharged, otherwise they stand still. They must load many new facilities to be built.

And yet wins the electric bus Europe. To begin with, the Netherlands. French and German transport companies use the Netherlands organized as a testing ground. Their Dutch subsidiaries Connexxion and Arriva at the forefront of the transition from diesel to electric. The European premiere is in Eindhoven. As of December 11, at the start of the schedule in 2017, late Connexxion subsidiary Hermes drive there at one time 43 electric buses. London follows a month later with 51 buses.

Arriva, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, runs from December 11 to sixteen electric buses in Venlo and Maastricht and from 1 January to fourteen coaches on Vlieland, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog.
"The fully electric bus is the standard for the coming years, especially in the cities."

"Now Within ten years and is all electric." CDA politician Marijke van Haaren, president of the Foundation Zero Emission Bus transportation is satisfied that the advance of environmentally friendly bus. Zero emission (ZE) means no exhaust emissions. "The fully electric bus is the standard for the coming years, especially in the cities." The development is hard, she says. "In five years the attitude towards electric buses turned complete resistance to great enthusiasm."

The mood was indeed optimistic at the congress BusVision last week in Houten. Those involved in electric bus could hear experiences from Sweden and explanations of European subsidies. Manufacturers from China, Finland and the Netherlands showed their new models. Equipment Administrators carriers, officials from provinces, busverkopers, they are all full of confidence. Resistance was only the 70-year-old driver of the shuttle bus between the station and exhibition hall. "Electric I find nothing. Give me diesel. The more noise the better. "

Qbuzz transport company in Utrecht under the name U-OV, presented last week the first of ten electric buses that will run on line 1 from next spring. The switch from diesel to electric on the line, a distance of nearly 2,600 kilometers per day, saves 900,000 kilograms of CO2 per year. Fleet Manager Han van der Wal Qbuzz: "Three years ago we were still enthusiastic about the latest diesel, Euro 6. Very clean, we found it. Now we are already one step further with buses without emissions and much quieter. I'm sure: before 2030, all public transport buses disappeared fossil fuel. "

Transport, private and public, is responsible for almost one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. No wonder governments of European Union authorities, endeavor to make cleaner transport. State Secretary Dijksma (Infrastructure and Environment, PvdA) came in April this year with provinces, Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Area and the Greater Amsterdam agreed that emission-free, all new buses by 2025 and make full use of renewable energy or fuel. In 2030, all buses must be emission-free.

The goal has been and number of electric buses is increasing rapidly, but there are still some obstacles.

For example, the cost. A diesel bus takes 2 to 2.5 tons, an electric bus around 450,000 euros. It is expected that the price difference drops as more electric buses will be produced in series. It should also be invested in infrastructure to recharge the bus.

The introduction of ten new buses Qbuzz cost four million euros. The Utrecht municipality pays half the province and Qbuzz each quarter, says Van der Wal. Besides the buses it comes to infrastructure costs and costs of temporarily less efficient schedules for the drivers.

Still, says Marijke van Haaren, it is possible to run clean buses at the same social costs as the current regional bus transport, of which 60 percent is paid by the government. Her foundation has developed a cost-benefit model that takes into account the social benefits, such as improved air quality and reduced health care costs. Van Haaren: "You have to figure out the different costs. The purchase is more expensive, but after ten years is offset by lower energy costs and expensive maintenance. "

Another problem is the battery charging. The range of an electric bus is more than 200 kilometers, but can in the winter, when the bus has to be heated inside the half. More batteries is possible, but then there are fewer passengers can join. Customers can choose between daytime fast charging along the route or at night slowly recharge in the draw. In both cases, the addition cost of charging stations and pantographs, especially logistical challenges. Charging while driving affects the timetable. If there are many buses at night charging at the same time requires a lot of electricity.

But these are practical issues that can be solved by trial and error. More radical is the change in the way public transport is organized. Provinces and metropolitan regions grant concessions to transport operators to be allowed to operate in a region transport for several years. The duration of the concessions, saying the carrier is equipped diesel buses. Electric buses last longer and do not need to be replaced with cleaner: they are already up clean. The carriers want longer concession periods, so they have more time to write off their expensive buses.

The concession structure is the biggest obstacle to further growth of electric buses, confirms Ellen Lastdrager, consultant at management consultancy Twynstra Gudde. Load carrier was involved in the Foundation Zero Emission Bus transportation and now promoter of hydrogen as an energy carrier. The hydrogen, like the all-electric bus electric motor, but can drive longer distances, up to 600 kilometers.

Lastdrager "The concession periods for zero emissions should be extended to up to fifteen years. The system must change. Provinces are now clients of the carriers, they should be partners. Together they can switch to renewable energy and reorganize public transport. "Lastdrager expects a growing separation between urban and regional transport, urban transport which is largely electrically and regional due to longer routes makes more use of hydrogen. Public transport in the province will be limited to the main routes, private initiatives provide small units for customized transport on the few routes.

Use that foreign hauliers Netherlands as a testing ground has two sides, will Lastdrager. "It's nice that there are sufficient foreign capital available to invest here. It does mean that we bring in French and German technology. That's not necessarily bad, but we must be aware of that effect. , The rise of the electric bus is not only a great opportunity for energy but also for the Dutch manufacturing industry. That opportunity we should not pass up. "

For now the other way around: Dutch technology will find its way abroad. VDL Groep in Eindhoven sells electric buses in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, France, Norway. Countries where the state contributes with grants. "The Netherlands does not and is an exception in Europe," business manager Erik Henneken VDL Groep said at the conference in Houten. "Here, only regional governments contribute. Possibly going to change the climate. "

VDL delivers 43 buses to Hermes, 18 meters long and 120 passengers. Henneken: "For us, this order a card, come to see people from all over Europe. Eindhoven has to be a success, because it is our backyard. "And if it goes wrong? "Electric drive is under a magnifying glass, look how each accident involving a Tesla comes to the media. Of course, once there turn out an electric bus with bad luck. As sometimes happens with a diesel. "Write your reply here