Only a few month after London tried out its first electric buses, Paris has officially committed to renewing its bus fleet, leaving diesel-based vehicles for more cleaner and sustainable ones.
(Photo: IvecoBus’ project Ellisup)
Paris’ public transportation administration, called STIF, will make what may very well be an historical call for bids in 2017. STIF and its right arm RATP, in charge with the operation of Paris’ public transportation network, have agreed on renewing their bus fleet. “STIF’s board of directors decided in December 2013 that the fleet would shift from being mostly diesel-powered to being mostly electrical, hybrid, or natural gas-based”, Iveco Bus’ director for institutional affairs Philippe Grand says. Both STIF and RATP aim at replacing their current diesel-powered fleet with more sustainable technology. Paris has one the biggest bus network in Europe. Hence that decision is likely to be the start of a real take off for the European electric vehicle industry.
Ending the diesel era
According to applied mathematics researcher Christian von Ferber, Paris has the biggest public transportation network in terms of route length. With an average of 38.2 stops per route, Paris ahead of London (34.2) and way ahead of Berlin (29.4). In fact, that figure only incorporates bus and metro routes for Paris, whereas it also comprises tram routes for London and tram and urban train routes for Berlin. In other word, Paris public transportation network, is definitely among one of the most bus-intensive in Europe. Needless to say that STIF and RATP’s decision to renew their bus fleet was quick to create some strong business and technical interest interest.
“ Over the last decade, it has been proven that electrical vehicles were a suitable technical solutions for passengers transportation”, Alessandro Bernardini, Head of IVECO Truck and Bus innovation says, “electrical vehicle are working perfectly in urban downtown, natural gas-powered buses can work in extra-urban areas, plug-in hybrid technology can work well in both of these situations”. In the future, Paris’ bus network will definitely look like a mix of these different technology. “The idea is to use the cleanest technology where it works best”, Alessandro Bernardini sums up. Besides it is no accident if Iveco recently presented a new electrical bus prototype in October 2013.
Major actors amongst the local energy and automotive leaders took part in that project. Tire maker Michelin was part of it, energy provider EDF was part of it. And the whole project was backed up by the French energy agency (CEA), and … RATP. The result of these combined efforts is called Ellisup, an electrical bus fitted out with super-fast charge battery technology. Less battery, more space for travelers. Ellisup demonstrated that French big cities could now consider the electric bus option. And that is exactly what Paris will be doing with its call for bids. But why has France capital got so big about green public transportation?
A boost for electric buses
Undoubtedly, Paris’ administration is concerned by tackling the issue of pollution before it starts to threaten the city’s touristic potential. Forsee Power’ CEO, Christophe Gurtner confirms. “Pollution is a topical issue for Paris, the record-breaking pollution peak that occurred in March highlighted it once more” he says. Christophe Gurtner manages one of the world leading company on the battery integration market. With factories all around Paris area, Forsee is likely to benefict from STIF’s call for bid, since the organisation wants to give priority to local firms. Hence, Christophe Gurtner and his staff study closely the changes that occur within the bus manufacturers’ demand. “Iveco, PVI, and Safra now consider mass production for electric buses”, Forsee’s CEO says, “we must be able to offer all kind of battery systems to meet all the possible transportation situations.”
The whole electric vehicle sector is anticipating a peak in its activity. “We will consider any type of technical options. However, high capacity lithium-ion batteries have our preference” Iveco Bus’ director for institutional affairs Philippe Grand says. According to this Italian bus maker representative, “such batteries have a longer lifespan and can store a lot of power in a very short amount of time. These systems are expansive nowadays, but mass-production for clients like STIF and RATP is very likely to change that” The manufactures are expecting to benefit from a bandwagoning effect, but it is still early to tell which technology is going to benefit from it. Everything still depends on STIF and RATP.
“All the existing technical solutions will be assessed and monitored by us with the help of EDF”, RATP’s manager for buses equipment Laurent Meret says, “we are intent upon making the most relevant and sustainable choice given our obligations”. Doing so will not be easy since “there is a diversity of terrain in Paris” Forsee’s Christophe Gurtner says. “Some buses might need small but powerful batteries with fast-charging capacity for short routes, some other might need bigger batteries dealing less power to go through longer routes”. Many factors will come into play. The only certainty is that by 2025, when Paris bus fleet is finally renewed, the electric bus industry will experience a major boost.