Kick-off meeting of Hamburg e-bus stakeholders
In the first step to close collaboration, the Borough of Hamburg-Mitte organized a virtual meeting of regional stakeholders. The group was composed of experts from the field of public transport, e-mobility and electricity grid as well as academia; amongst the participants was the CEO of one of Hamburg’s two transport operators VHH (Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein), the project manager for e-buses from Hochbahn (the other transport operator), representatives of Stromnetz Hamburg, the grid operator, a consultant from HySOLUTIONS – an e-mobility consultancy – and a representative from the University of Applied Sciences, namely the project manager of the Interreg BSR electric project which has been finalized only recently. Many of the stakeholders knew each other from previous projects. Some had not been in touch for a while and seized the opportunity to catch up. During the online meeting, the eBussed project has been introduced, followed by an engaging discussion about the characteristics of e-bus deployment in Hamburg.
While Hamburg may not be the first city achieving the goal of zero-emission public transport, a focus is put on a comprehensive and systematic transition and transparent supply chains including ethical standards. The size of the transport system and the large number of buses to be replaced requires a well-planned approach, considering all components and infrastructure requirements. By developing optimal operation procedures, a highly efficient system can be implemented from the start, instead of going by trial and error. Another important factor in Hamburg’s transition to e-buses is the fact that the city’s government has ruled (back in 2015) to only procure zero-emission buses from 2020 on. This ambition goes hand in hand with the strong political support of the transition.
After a good start, the participants will get together regularly to discuss new developments and common challenges, they will take up issues coming from the eBussed project and will feedback from their knowledge and expertise.
After a good start, the participants will get together regularly to discuss new developments and common challenges.
