The Cologne Transport Authority (KVB) wants to significantly expand its electric bus fleet and has ordered 38 articulated buses and 40 solo buses from Irizar e-mobility – the largest order to date from Germany for the Spanish manufacturer. The first vehicles are scheduled for delivery in October 2026.
The 78 electric buses from Irizar will join the 118 electric buses from Dutch manufacturer VDL that KVB already has in operation. With the new electric buses from Irizar, almost two-thirds of KVB’s own bus fleet will be electric. If vehicles from subcontractors are included, this figure will rise to almost half. As part of its electrification programme, KVB already inaugurated a special electric bus depot in Cologne-Porz in 2024.
KVB has now ordered the well-known Irizar ie bus 12 (solo bus) and Irizar ie bus 18 (articulated bus) electric bus models. The vehicle is designed like a classic city bus, while the same manufacturer also offers the extravagant ie tram, whose exterior is based on a tram and which is in use in London, among other places.
The articulated buses are equipped with a battery capacity of 613.8 kWh, which should provide a range of 180 to 230 kilometres. The batteries of the shorter and lighter solo buses have a capacity of 511.5 kWh and can travel 200 to 260 kilometres.
The electric drive of the articulated bus motor has a rated output of 285 kW and a peak output of 385 kW, which can be called upon when starting and accelerating, for example. The solo buses have a rated output of 185 kW and a peak output of 290 kW. The electric motors are from the US brand Cummins Accelera, but are manufactured in Europe. The maximum speed is 85 km/h, with the motors being slightly throttled for this.
The purchase of the 78 new electric buses is being subsidised by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The state subsidy is being provided in accordance with Section 13 of the NRW Public Transport Act as an investment measure in the special interest of the state. It covers 60 per cent of the additional costs of an electric bus compared to a comparable diesel bus. The partners have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
KVB is not ordering the electric buses directly from Irizar, but from Hamburg-based solution provider Jebsen & Jessen e-Mobility, which has been active as a sales partner of Irizar since 2017. According to the Jebsen & Jessen website, this is already the fourth order for Irizar electric buses from Germany to be processed by the company. Previous orders came from Rheinbahn in Düsseldorf, ICB in Frankfurt/Main and BSAG in Bremen. However, the KVB order is by far the largest order for Irizar electric buses in Germany to date: the public transport operators Rheinbahn, ICB and BSAG together account for 42 vehicles, but KVB has ordered a total of 78 units.
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