The progressive decarbonisation of cities, one of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, has in public transport not only a mobility alternative, but also an active agent to contribute to this goal, reducing the dependence of buses on polluting fossil fuels.

In this sense, the Municipal Transport Company (EMT) of Valencia wants to take advantage of the European post-Covid recovery funds, the so-called Next Generation EU, to commit to electrification, both in its vehicles and in the infrastructures that support them.

The public company, which depends on València City Council, has just put out to tender the electrification of the Sant Isidre depot for 2.5 million euros (excluding VAT), of which 1.7 million will be financed by EU funds.

This investment is due to the need to prepare its facilities for the arrival of 20 fully electric buses, which were put out to tender last December with an initial budget of 11.6 million euros, of which 4 million will be covered by EU funds.

In this way, EU funding will cover 5.7 million of the 13.6 million for both projects, i.e. 42% of the total.

The move to this new electric model in the EMT of Valencia comes after the commitment in recent years to hybrid models as a preliminary step to electrification.

Moreover, there are currently two electric buses in the fleet, so the arrival of the twenty or so committed vehicles will mean the first mass purchase of buses with this technology.

As for the details of the project for the depot, the EMT justifies the need for 26 new electric recharging points due to the acquisition of the 20 vehicles mentioned above.

To this end, according to the contract, «it is essential to increase the power installed in the centre of the Depósito Sur and Taller Central de Sant Isidre depot from the current contracted power of 451 kW to 1.9 MW».

According to the specifications, the work is expected to be completed by 1 March 2023, i.e. in one year’s time. Companies wishing to bid for the tender will have until 11 April 2022 at 13.00 hours.

As far as the new 100% electric buses are concerned, the EMT will purchase twenty of these 12-metre vehicles with a power of at least 150 kW.

These buses will not use any type of fossil fuel for their operation, so they will be totally electric and without polluting emissions.

In addition, the municipal company will require the manufacturer to ensure that the noise levels inside and outside the vehicle comply with current regulations.

Moreover, to guarantee accessible and inclusive transport, all of them will have to be adapted for people with reduced mobility, with a double ramp system (automatic and manual) at the central door or a space in the central platform for two wheelchairs, among others.

The new electric vehicles are expected to arrive at EMT València in early 2023 to offer its users sustainable public transport that guarantees safety, comfort and speed standards at the same time.

For this tender, EMT technicians have taken into account the data collected during the various tests carried out by the city with electric bus models provided by manufacturers such as Volvo, Irizar, BYD, Solaris and Man, which have provided first-hand knowledge of the efficient and clean technologies available on the market.

Serrano: «An opportunity».

The managing director of EMT València, Marta Serrano, says that the Next Generation funds are «an opportunity to commit to even more sustainable mobility that allows us to improve air quality and tackle climate change, objectives to which public transport is already making a fundamental contribution».

The transformation of the depot and the arrival of around 20 zero-emission electric vehicles «are key projects in our commitment to sustainable public transport that contributes to a friendlier and healthier city,» he adds, as reported by 20 Minutos.