Image: BlagussWith this move, Blaguss has become one of the first mobility companies in Austria to operate battery-electric buses in both public transport and long-distance coach services. The Vienna-based company has equipped its new Yutong T12E vehicles with a battery capacity of 466 kWh each, which is expected to deliver a range of around 500 kilometres.The T12E is a Chinese standard coach measuring just over 12 metres in length and weighing approximately 15 tonnes. Blaguss specifies its power output as 230 kW, with seating for 47 passengers plus one driver. The procurement of the twelve Yutong units followed a test phase, which concluded in March 2026. “They currently best meet our requirements for range, suitability for long-distance travel, and cost-effectiveness,” Paul Blaguss told Viennese outlet Mein Bezirk.Blaguss has been actively investing in e-mobility for some time: in 2024 and 2025, the company committed a double-digit million sum to developing an e-mobility ecosystem. As part of this transition, the energy infrastructure at its Vienna headquarters is set to expand in parallel with its fleet. Blaguss plans to upgrade its existing photovoltaic system to a capacity of 235 kWp. Additional components of the system include energy storage solutions and bus-compatible charging infrastructure to maximise the use of self-generated electricity.Since the end of 2024, Blaguss has already been operating battery-electric buses in local public transport in Baden and Mattersburg, as well as on short-distance routes. In spring 2025, the company introduced electric hop-on/hop-off buses for tourist services in Vienna. Mein Bezirk also reports that the company’s passenger car fleet is now exclusively electric.A notable feature is that Blaguss, in collaboration with its partner Green Energy, has equipped its buses with solar panels on their roofs. “During a ten-month pilot phase involving 17 vehicles, savings of up to 2,052 litres of fuel per diesel bus per year and a reduction of up to 5.4 tonnes of CO₂ per vehicle were achieved,” the company states. Specifically, the vehicle-mounted solar panels are expected to generate 500 to 600 kWh of clean energy per year per bus, which is fed directly into the vehicle’s electrical system. To date, 67 of the company’s buses have been fitted with solar systems.With the addition of twelve new long-distance battery-electric coaches, Blaguss is making a bold statement in the coach market. However, competition is not standing still: just a few weeks ago, the Austrian Dr. Richard Group announced the integration of three electric coaches. These are also Yutong T12E models, though the variants used by Dr. Richard are said to have a range of only 380km.traktuell.at, meinbezirk.at, linkedin.com, blaguss.com (links in German)
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