Copenhagen is moving to electric

In the metropolitan area of Copenhagen in Denmark, the public transport authority, Movia, is replacing diesel-powered buses and boats with electric fleets to cut emissions and become fossil-free by 2030.

On December 8, 2019, 56 electric buses started operating in Copenhagen and suburbs. On the busy bus lines 2A and 18, 48 of the new electric buses expects to carry almost 11 million passengers annually reducing CO2 emissions by approx. 4,300 tons pr. year. For Movia, this was the culmination of a busy year, starting in April with the deployment of 20 electric buses serving all city bus lines in Roskilde, west of Copenhagen. The electric buses deployed in 2019 are an important step for Movia towards achieving the goal of fossil-free bus services, and Movia expects up to 129 new electric buses in 2021 and 2022.

In 2017, the European Investment Bank awarded Movia a grant under the ELENA programme to help prepare the transition from conventional fuels to electricity in a four-year project: Transition to Electric Buses and Boats in Movia (TEBB). The grant has helped Movia cover legal expenses, conduct feasibility studies, add technical support and pay for staff. One of the project’s sub-tasks includes a mapping and evaluation of the first tenders with zero emission requirements completed by Movia in 2017-2018.

The transition of Movia’s bus services to zero-emission has far-reaching implications for many parts of the Movia organisation, including the tender processes. Based on a thorough dialogue with bus operators, Movia has adapted its tender model in relation to the specific challenges related to zero-emission buses. By reducing the bus operators’ perceived risks when using electric buses, and among other things assuming the responsibility for setting up charging stations in the urban space, Movia has managed to get good prices on emission-free bus operation.

The experiences gained by Movia through these initial tender processes (both electric buses and harbour boats) are now summarized in an evaluation report.

The Copenhagen electric harbor buses
In the first half of 2020, Copenhagen will receive a new fleet of five electric powered harbor buses operating without emitting gases and diesel particles from the engines. The harbor buses charges fully at night, and will during the day charge at two terminals - Teglholmen and Refshaleøen. They will carry approx. 425,000 passengers annually.

In 2017/2018 Movia tendered out the harbor bus services on behalf of the City of Copenhagen using “competitive dialogue”. The final contract documents included requirements for fully or partially emission-free operation, but the contract was won with an all-electric solution. The price was level with existing diesel boat operation, which was below budget. The City of Copenhagen then chose to use the unused budget to extend the harbor bus services, which triggered the option for another two in-service boats. The two extra boats will go into service in 2021.

Read more about what Movia gained from using the tender form “competitive dialogue” in the evaluation report: