Dutch electric bus manufacturer Ebusco has received a potentially major order from France. The contract with the Metropole Rouen Normandy includes four Ebusco 2.2 electric buses for delivery around the end of 2022 and an option for 76 more vehicles.
According to the manufacturer, however, the 76 vehicles from the option are not the Ebusco 2.2 model, but the newer Ebusco 3.0 model. The Dutch company already introduced the Ebusco 3.0 in 2019, but the 2.2 will remain in the program. Should Rouen use this option, the 76 vehicles would be delivered in batches between 2023 and 2026.
All 80 vehicles concerned are the 18-meter articulated bus version. If the binding order for the 76 vehicles from the option is placed, it would also be the first order for the larger articulated bus version of the Ebusco 3.0. So far, the Dutch company have only delivered the twelve-meter solo bus version, for example in Munich. Although the Ebusco 3.0 is already on the road as a solo bus in Munich, the municipal utility ordered additional articulated buses of the older type 2.2 this January.
Ebusco CEO Peter Bijvelds calls the new contract an “important step in our international expansion.” “Not only are we significantly strengthening our position in the French market, it is also the biggest order for our revolutionary 3.0 buses to date,” he said. “The extended delivery schedule, over a period of four years also supports the visibility and efficient planning in the production capacity.”
For the Rouen metropolitan region, Ebusco was awarded the tender for the combination of the high capacity of the batteries and the competitive total cost.
Ebusco says that while there are many transit buses on the road in France, the penetration of electric buses is still relatively low. This is another reason why it has identified France as one of the most important target markets in its expansion strategy.
Keyword: Ebusco takes e-bus order from Rouen in France