The premiere of a converted electric coach and the inauguration of an associated photovoltaic system took place on 12 August 2025 at the Scharf OHG bus company in Erding. A bus port, 17 charging points, a smart charging and load management system and an e-bus workshop were also put into operation, marking a milestone for the Erding-based travel company on its journey towards more sustainable bus mobility.
The Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) supported the project by providing a total of around 3.6 million euros in funding for the conversion of two buses to electric drives, the procurement of 13 electric buses and the infrastructure required for their operation. The funding came from the ’Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drives for Buses in Passenger Transport‘ (’Richtlinie zur Förderung alternativer Antriebe von Bussen im Personenverkehr”), with additional funding also provided under the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP – Deutscher Aufbau- und Resilienzplan) via the European Recovery and Resilience Facilities (ARF – Europäische Aufbau- und Resilienzfazilitäten) in the NextGenerationEU programme. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).
The conversion was carried out as part of a cooperation between Voith Turbo and to zero electric vehicles GmbH. An electric drive system from Voith replaces the previous diesel engine and transmission. It is specially tailored to the requirements of coaches and fits seamlessly into the existing vehicle architecture. The electric motor achieves a peak output of 410 kW (approx. 557 hp) – offering even more power than the original combustion engine.
Further information on the conversion is available from Scharf OHG.
Image credit: Scharf OHG Omnibus & Reisebüro
