The Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Dr Volker Wissing, today handed over funding notifications amounting to around 160 million euros for the electrification of public transport in Hamburg and the surrounding area.
The recipients of the funding are the two public transport companies Hamburger Hochbahn AG and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH). These are the first funding notices to be awarded to transport companies under the guideline for the promotion of alternative drive systems for buses in passenger transport.
Federal Minister Dr. Volker Wissing: “A further 472 Hamburg city buses will be electric in the future – we are investing around 160 million euros in this. After all, climate protection begins on the doorstep – when you get on public transport. We need climate-neutral mobility for people. We can only achieve this by using electric vehicles to reduce transport emissions sustainably and permanently. Especially buses have an enormously high mileage in our inner cities, which is where we are targeting our funding. Our support will help to ensure that up to 40 percent of Hamburg’s city bus fleet can be electrified in the coming years.”
Further funding notifications in the context of the first funding call will be presented at the Electric Mobility Conference of the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV – Bundesministerium für Digital and Transport) being held 7 & 8 April 2022 in Berlin. Registrations for participation in the digital format are possible here.
About the projects and activities in Hamburg:
- Hamburger Hochbahn AG has set itself the goal of converting its entire bus fleet – currently around 1,000 vehicles – to alternative drives by 2030. The company will receive approximately 97 million euros for the procurement of 289 electric buses and 486 charging infrastructure units.
- The BMDV has already provided funding support to Hochbahn of 12 million euros for the purchase of 60 electric buses and 20 charging infrastructure units, as well as 6.4 million euros for the construction of the new Gleisdreieck depot.
- Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH plans to convert its entire fleet – around 670 vehicles – to electric drives by 2030. VHH’s Elexity2022 project is being funded with around 59 million euros to purchase 183 electric buses and 216 charging infrastructure units.
- VHH has received 15 million euros to date for the acquisition of 64 battery-electric buses and 1.8 million euros for the upgrading of its Bergedorf depot.