Dortmund Germany Delays Transition To Electric Buses Due To High Costs, Will Purchase Diesel Buses

The hype about green energies being the future is quickly becoming a thing of the past as all the Utopian promises made are not coming true as they clash against reality. 

The green movement is turning out to be nothing but a silly wet-dream LSD fantasy. 

The city of Dortmund, Germany is finding out that electric buses are significantly more expensive than diesel buses, even with government subsidies, reports Blackout News here.

Ordering more diesel buses

Due to the high costs, DSW21, a German transit company, is now delaying the full transition to an electric fleet and plans to continue purchasing some diesel buses alongside electric ones.

The plan was to replace the diesel buses with electric vehicles and to operate a largely emission-free fleet by 2035, but that’s looking extremely unlikely.

Diesel buses half the price of an electric bus

Blackout News reports that costs of switching to electric buses are almost impossible to manage without state funding. A diesel bus only costs around 400,000 euros, whereas an electric bus costs around 800,000 euros. This makes the switch to electric vehicles expensive even with government subsidies. “Without financial support from the German government, replacing the remaining 155 diesel buses with electric vehicles would cost around 140 million euros. That is almost three times as expensive as purchasing new diesel buses.”

Will never meet the 2035 climate target

Government subsidies for electric buses are decreasing, thus making the transition the transition over to an electric bus fleet even more challenging.

The EU directives are phasing out diesel powered buses and by 2035 only emission-free vehicles may then be used. That target is now in jeopardy as the government scales back subsidies.

Vehicle lifetime costs likely an even bigger obstacle

The other problem that gets ignored, and is not mentioned in the article, is the maintenance and service costs of the buses. Diesel buses are cheap, reliable and can run for many years. Electric buses, on the other hand, require massive batteries, which are exorbitantly expensive. And what value does a 7-year old electric bus have?

Potential folly

Blackout News sums up: “The long-term conversion to a zero-emission fleet will be significantly delayed if no further subsidies are made available. The decision to buy diesel buses again shows how much the industry is dependent on financial support in order to achieve the climate targets.”

Electric buses are increasingly appearing to be another costly green misadventure, and possibly a complete folly if policymakers refuse to wake up.





18 responses to “Dortmund Germany Delays Transition To Electric Buses Due To High Costs, Will Purchase Diesel Buses”

  1. David Hamilton Russell

    Germany’s commitment to renewables will destroy their economic viability. That combined with an aging work force. Their only hope is to export their industry to the US.

    1. mwhite

      https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/volkswagen-shut-factories-cut-jobs-panic
      “Footage from the plant shows hundreds of workers from the IG Metall union protesting outside with signs and placards. Some of them are telling the company to “get their hands away”, while others call on CEO Thomas Schäfer to “do his homework”.”
      I don’t think the workers have quite e cause yet.

  2. John Hultquist

    And what value does a 7-year old electric bus have?

    I’ve read that large buses have about a 12 year life. Maybe because of the constant use — and, maybe abuse. Many vehicles of diesel or gasoline will be on the road much longer than 7 years.

  3. John Klug

    Electric buses do not require batteries. Trolley buses have have been around for many years.

    1. John Hultquist

      A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws power from dual overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Also, called street-cars.
      Such were common in the USA until this:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy.
      I remember them running past my relatives’ house – in a larger town than I. When they connected cities, they were call “interurbans”; pictures on web.

      1. Senex

        Not quite. Street Cars = trams, they run on rails laid in the roadbed (“Car” = railroad car”). Trolley buses run on the road just like ordinary buses, but get power from overhead wires. Street cars / trams usually only have a single pole / pantograph because they are grounded through the wheels and rails. Trolley buses have two poles and paired wires to complete the circuit.

        I remember both in Toronto. There is still an extensive street car / tram network but the old trolley buses have been gone for several decades.

  4. oebele bruinsma

    “Green initiatives” inevitably fail, because their intent is not to solve any problem, but to perpetuate a perceived crisis. Second, they are only perpetuated when they spend other peoples money. When this dries up, their spending stops and the screaming/shaming begins.

  5. Petit_Barde

    I wonder when the general population will wake up and fight against those whoi are imposing this nightmare :
    – have we to wait until we are forced to eat cockroaches or starve?

  6. Oktober 2024 in Deutschland eher kühl und nass? – wobleibtdieglobaleerwaermung

    […] Wintervorstoß nach Mitteleuropa schon nach der ersten Novemberwoche. Übrigens: Ab 2025 keine Fördrung mehr für Elektrobusse – Dortmund kauft wieder […]

  7. German City Chooses Diesel Buses Over Electric, Cites High Costs Even After Subsidies – altnews.org

    […] Read more at No Tricks Zone […]

  8. Dortmund Germany Delays Transition To Electric Buses Due To High Costs, Will Purchase Diesel Buses - Climate- Science.press

    […] From NoTrickZone […]

  9. tita

    They’re all definitely some great sites.
    GTU

  10. German City Chooses Diesel Buses Over Electric, Cites High Costs Even After Subsidies - DB Energy Advisors

    […] Read more at No Tricks Zone […]

  11. German City Chooses Diesel Buses Over Electric, Cites High Costs Even After Subsidies - sandstone-group

    […] Read more at No Tricks Zone […]

  12. German City Chooses Diesel Buses Over Electric, Cites High Costs Even After Subsidies - The Crude Truth

    […] Read more at No Tricks Zone […]

  13. German City Chooses Diesel Buses Over Electric, Cites High Costs Even After Subsidies - Energy Realities

    […] Read more at No Tricks Zone […]

  14. Roberto

    My question would be about the maintenance costs for these things.

  15. soundos

    It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this useful information with us.
    Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing
    SAMIRA-SEGC.

Leave a Reply

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. More information at our Data Privacy Policy

Close