Transdev invested 4.5 million euros to reinforce the AveiroBus fleet of electric buses, with an additional 10 vehicles with zero polluting emissions, which from the past November 23rd, onwards has allowed the reduction of the carbon footprint of the entire AveiroBus operation at 383 tons/year.
The investment includes a charging infrastructure with innovative features in Portugal. With the five double chargers, thermal cameras were also installed to detect possible initial fires and barriers were created to prevent the spread of flames.
The capacity of the batteries of these new buses will allow them to operate for a full day and, therefore, allow charging to be carried out during off-peak hours, minimizing costs and the load on the electrical grid.
In addition to being more comfortable, emitting no noise or polluting emissions and allowing significant energy savings, the new vehicles are also safer. They come equipped with a blind spot detection system, which significantly reduces the risk of accidents on urban roads.
This is a strategic moment for the Municipality of Aveiro and its public transport network, which in 2018 received the first three electric buses and now has a fleet of 14 vehicles with zero CO2 emissions. CMA has made several investments in terms of sustainable mobility, namely with the new 100% Portuguese electric ferryboat, which will connect São Jacinto, in Aveiro, and Fort da Barra, in Ílhavo, and which is currently undergoing testing.
José Ribau Esteves, Mayor of Aveiro
Guaranteeing that Aveiro City Council will continue its work in terms of mobility and sustainability, so that the Municipality continues to be a reference in these areas.
For the CEO of Transdev Portugal, Sérgio Soares, this is a strong commitment to improving the service that the company provides in Aveiro, both in terms of quality and comfort for passengers, as well as energy and climate savings. However, in terms of combating climate change, in addition to the decarbonization of operations, there is another priority that needs to be reinforced, which is strengthening the supply of public transport. Only with more supply will we be able to get people to switch from individual transport to public transport and this is a challenge that we all, as a society, have to understand and promote.
Project co-financed by PO SEUR, Portugal 2020 and the European Union through the Cohesion Fund.