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Tienen first Belgian city to use fully electric buses

15 September 2017

The first fully electric public buses in Belgium will be introduced in Tienen, a city about 15 kilometers east of Leuven. The buses will be operational starting November and will operate in and around Tienen.

The buses have a length of 12 meter and will have a capacity of around 90 passengers. The city of Tienen owns the buses instead of the Flemish bus company De Lijn. Their main goal will be to transport employees as well as school children.

With a battery lasting up to ten times longer than the previous generation, the buses can easily drive 300 kilometers without having to recharge. More than enough to drive around all day. And with just one and a half hour, fully recharging the battery takes much less time as well.

Seven other European cities, such as Utrecht, Paris and Munich, already operate these buses. Leuven MindGate member city of Tienen is now added to that list. One of these buses costs up to 435 000 euro. A big investment which pays for itself within ten years.

Just like electric cars, the buses offer passengers a much smoother drive. Braking also happens by releasing the 'gas' pedal and regenerates some of the kinetic energy which is released while braking.

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