In Madrid, the municipal transport company EMT inaugurated the first "Línea Cero" between Atocha Renfe and Moncloa, which is operated exclusively by electric buses and can also be used free of charge. This first "zero emissions, zero cost" line is operated with ten electric buses from the Spanish manufacturer Irizar.
This line intends to promote the use of public transportation and sustainable mobility, as part of its Madrid 360 environmental sustainability strategy.
The twelve-meter-long buses have 28 seats, and they can carry a total of 75 passengers. According to the press release, the 230 kW motor of the e-buses is powered by energy from five lithium-ion batteries each providing the bus with a range of between 100 and 150 kilometres, depending on the driving cycle and atmospheric conditions, equivalent to 17 hours of travel time in a city with heavy traffic.
In the words of José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, “we are faced with an initiative with which Madrid continues being a pioneer and leader in terms of having a public transport system that guarantees the mobility of millions of citizens each day, and in terms of sustainability and the fight to reduce pollution”.
Hector Olabegogeaskoetxea, the Director-General of Irizar e-mobility adds: “It fills us with pride that Madrid has chosen to use our zero-emission buses for this initiative. Collaborating on this project is very important to us. We are fully committed to the environment and we want to contribute to improving citizens’ quality of life. We are the first green energy electromobility plant in Europe.”
With this strategy, the capital of Spain sets itself high sustainability goals.
