The eBussed final seminar on 18-20 May in Hamburg, summarised the extensive knowledge gathered in the consortium in three years. Both the presentation describing the measures taken, guest speakers’ insights, and the site visits shaped a successful event that stirred the participants to think the electric public transport from a new point of view.
The first day started with project meetings. After that, the stakeholders hopped on board and continued with the common programme. The warm weather in Hamburg got even hotter when the first guest speaker Markus Wiedemann, Head of the Department for Motor Vehicles at SSB Stuttgart explained the tragic fire at the depot in Stuttgart in September 2021. The generous sharing of the course of the accident and ideas of what will be done differently gave the participants plenty to think of to avoid damages in a similar incident. At the end of the day, three of the six regions, Gozo, Livorno, and South Transdanubia summed up their journeys along with the eBussed project and revealed the plans for sustainable future mobility.
The second day of the event started with visits to the two local public transport companies Hochbahn and VHH. The companies’ representatives were generous in showing the depots and answering the visitors’ tricky questions. The visit gave an overall picture of, for example, the use of energy, charging methods and volumes, peak-shaving, and practices that had been chosen to serve the local needs. The day continued with Regional eBussed journeys summarizing the regional status and prospects and thematic presentations about the e-bus user interface and drivers and barriers in e-bus deployment.
The third day began with Frans Bal’s presentation about financial indications for Dutch e-bus investments and operations. The well-executed and thought-provoking event ended with presentations from SmartOpenHamburg and a visit to ridesharing company MOIA.
