Image: EMT PalmaIn March 2025, the EMT Palma board approved the procurement of 113 battery-electric buses, along with the necessary charging infrastructure, for a total budget of 117 million euros. The plan included the purchase of 67 battery-electric articulated buses, each 18 metres long, and 46 battery-electric standard buses, each 12 metres in length.In the first partial tender for a total of 68 electric buses, one of the lots was awarded to the Chinese manufacturer BYD, specifically its Spanish subsidiary, BYD Motores Iberia. The company has now delivered the 23 units ordered by EMT Palma, the public transport operator for Mallorca’s island capital. All the vehicles are 12-metre solo buses, each costing 573,000 euros.Mayor Jaime Martínez Llabrés stated: “Palma is advancing with a clear and determined commitment to sustainable mobility, aiming to create a well-planned public transport network that meets the real needs of Spain’s seventh-largest city.” He added: “These 23 buses are just the first step in a process that will undoubtedly position Palma at the forefront of the transformation and modernisation of public transport.”Nine of these 23 BYD buses have already entered service this week. They will operate on routes 1, 6, 10, 14, 16, 20, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 39, and 40 to improve efficiency and availability, offering passengers an enhanced service.The remaining two lots from the partial tender for 68 electric buses were awarded to Daimler Buses, which is set to deliver a total of 34 articulated buses starting in June, and the Spanish manufacturer Irizar, which will supply eleven articulated buses. It remains unclear what the status is of the remaining 45 planned electric buses and whether they have already been tendered.The project is financed through the Balearic Islands’ Energy Transition Investment Plan (PITEIB), the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan – NextGenerationEU, the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS), the city of Palma, and the operator’s own funds.mallorcadiario.com, palma.es (both in Spanish)