As reported in a interview published on italian magazine Autobusweb, a first model of open top electric bus was tested in Barcelona last year for three months. «I am firmly convinced that the future of transport in the city centres will be zero emission – says the sales manager Eduard Pagès Vilà -. And we are getting prepared. The bus tested in Barcelona is being optimized». The vehicle is developed for slow charging overnight and features electric motor and batteries provided by the French company Actia. Reportedly, it will be showcased at FIAA 2020 in Madrid.
Ankai and Unvi are also working on electric open top buses
Two players, the Chinese company Ankai and the Spanish Unvi, are also introducing their open top electric buses on the market. Ankai delivered the first double-decker electric bus for city sightseeing to City Sightseeing Italy group. The vehicle, that features ZF electric axle AxTrax (adopted also by Solaris and Mercedes), has been in operation in Milan and a series of pilots will take place during 2019. City Sightseeing Italy group intends to proceed to the progressive replacement of the current diesel fleet, converting it into full electric.
Unvi and the first sightseeing bus in London
The first electric, open top double-decker sightseeing bus in London hit the road in October 2018. The bus is built by Unvi and features electric motors integrated in the wheels manufactured by Ziehl-Abegg (ZAwheel). The zero emission vehicle is operated by “The Original Tour”, a subsidiary of the international RATP Group.
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Sightseeing in the silent. The debut of the first electric open top in London
Sightseeing in the silent. The debut of the first electric open top in London
The vehicle manufactured by the Spanish company Unvi has been used also by the French soccer team for the celebrations for World Champion victory. The team spent its most festive hours fooling around Paris after coming back from Russia. The vehicle can carry up to 78 passengers and is 12 meters long. According to the manufacturer, it has a range of 160 kilometres per day.
