Bus Éireann will invest €30 million in installing electric bus chargers in regional cities and towns.
The transport body is looking to build a panel of businesses for the supply, installation, and maintenance of specialist electric car chargers for buses by the year 2035, according to the Irish Examiner.
Currently, the state-owned corporation runs three hydrogen-powered cars on Dublin’s commuter routes and 11 electric vehicles, which make up the entirety of the town’s fleet, in Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
In addition, 20 more hybrid buses are in operation in Limerick ahead of a €3 million plan to fully electrify that city’s depot before the arrival of 20 double-decker electric buses for the city’s routes. The company’s Galway services is entirely made up of hybrid buses.
The service in Athlone is now operated by nine double electric chargers in the depot in the town, with a further 12 similar chargers installed nearby Limerick.
How many charges will be provided under the €30 million tender budget is unknown.
As part of the €30 million EV charger project, turnkey chargers and charging points will be installed right out of the box, and staff members of Bus Éireann will receive the necessary training.
In the case of a loss of grid power supply, the scope will also provide the deployment of “suitable energy storage systems” or other sustainable backup systems, according to the tender documents.