First free electric bus lines in Prague

On the morning of February 3rd two new electric buses from the Czech producer SOR left on their regular BB1 and BB2 lines connecting the multifunctional BB Centrum complex with the Budějovická metro station on the C line in Prague 4. They are the first electric buses to be deployed in regular operations in Prague mass transit that passengers can use free of charge. Representatives of the development and investment company PASSERINVEST GROUP, the ČEZ group and the ARRIVA transportation company ceremoniously launched the electric buses and put them into operation as part of a joint project aimed at decreasing the burden on the environment, primarily in cities. In addition to being able to travel free of charge, the passengers also appreciated other benefits, including the less noise produced by the electric buses and the increased number of connections.

PASSERINVEST GROUP had been considering increasing the shuttle service connecting BB Centrum with the important transportation node on the C line ever since 2013, because the demand for this service on the part of the customers, tenants from throughout the complex, was continuing to grow. The preparation of the joint project began approximately a year ago. “Seeing that we have been cooperating with ARRIVA ever since 2007 and that we are always striving to support our tenants, in part by using their products and services, such as ČEZ’s e-mobility in this case, the implementation of electric buses in cooperation with these companies was a clear choice for us,” stated Radim Passer, the Chairman of the Board of PASSERINVEST GROUP, a. s., with regard to the project

The BB1 and BB2 lines between BB Centrum and the Budějovická station have been bolstered since 3 February by two new SOR EBN 9,5 electric buses. “So far three diesel buses have been operating on these lines, but now they will be covered by two electric and two diesel buses. Thanks to this the BB1 line will go more frequently than today. In the morning and afternoon rush hour its interval will be considerably shorter. In the morning you won’t have to wait even five minutes for a bus,” stated the General Director of ARRIVA, Daniel Adamka. “The electric buses are excellent in cities with heavy traffic, where the exhaust from traffic disproportionally burdens the environment. So far they are more of a dream here, but I will strive for there to be more. We have three in the Czech Republic at the moment,” added Daniel Adamka.
Each electric bus has a capacity of 73 passengers and in regular traffic with passengers it can go 130-150 km on one charge. The electric buses will travel over 42 thousand kilometres per year on these lines.

The environmental friendliness and very low noise levels of the electric buses are of primary importance. In practice electric buses are actually quieter than trolleybuses, because you cannot hear the sound of the trolley wires. “We understand the support of electric buses as another logical step in our activities in the area of the development of clean mobility. For more than five years ČEZ has been purposefully creating the conditions for the growth of electric drive in individual and mass transportation through the Electromobility project. At the moment we offer more than 50 public electric car recharging stations in the Czech Republic, ten of which are rapid recharging stations. In addition to this we offer clients the services of our Customer Centres and ČEZ Point localities or we mediate a wide offer for home recharging,” explained Tomáš Pleskač, a member of the Board of Directors and Director of the New Energy Division of ČEZ with regard to the reasons for cooperating on the project to introduce electric buses to BB Centrum. “We are honoured to be able to promote electromobility right in the location where our company is located, thereby leading by example for other companies,” added David Hajmán, the Strategy Director of ČEZ, a. s. and General Director of ČEZ Prodej, s.r.o.

Technical details on SOR electric buses
The producer and supplier of the specially-developed lightweight electric bus body is SOR, with the complete electrical equipment for the currently-manufactured models being delivered by Cegelec. The vehicles are equipped with 180 cell lithium-ion electric batteries with a total capacity of 172 kWh. The bus can travel 130-150 km on a single charge. The maximum distance an empty vehicle can travel can be up to 250 km, but it depends on the type of traffic it is in. The battery can be charged in two ways. Slow charging 3× 400 V/32 A or rapid charging 3× 400 V/250 A. Charging from 30% to 100% of the capacity lasts 7-8 hours in the first case and at most an hour in the second case.

When braking or travelling downhill the vehicle recovers and charges its battery with this energy. The electric bus operates very well on snow, as the heavy batteries helps to weigh down the rear axle. “The first electric buses have been in operation for 5 years and are still driving on their first set of batteries with a few small changes to individual cells,” stated Aleš Lipavský, the Vice-Director of Sales for SOR. “Winter suits electric buses more than summer. One of the reasons is the fact that in the winter it is not necessary to cool down the battery space, which heats up.”

Information for editors

ČEZ Electromobility is oriented on the universal support of the development of electromobility in the Czech Republic. It operates more than 50 public recharging stations (10 of which are rapid recharge stations). The current map of locations with recharging stations and a comprehensive set of information is available at www.elektromobilita.cz. It currently provides many related services, such as an overall service to clients from the ranks of owners of electric cars at ČEZ Customer Centres and in ČEZ Point locations, mediates the sale of “wallboxes” and recharging cables for professional recharging in households and in companies. ČEZ Electromobility cooperates with 50 partners from the ranks of automobile manufacturers, municipalities, shopping centres, commercial subjects and town halls throughout the entire Czech Republic.

ARRIVA operates 2000 buses, 35 trolleybuses and 5 passenger trains and employs almost 3200 employees. The group’s total turnover exceeds 4 billion crowns. The group’s main activity is bus transportation lines. ARRIVA holds a leading position on the market of regular passenger bus transportation in the Czech Republic. Each year it conveys more than 115 million passengers. ARRIVA in the Czech Republic is part of the ARRIVA group, one of the largest transportation companies in Europe, which employs 55,000 people and transports more than 2.2 billion people each year in 14 European countries.

The leading Czech development and investment company PASSERINVEST GROUP, a.s. has increased its registered capital from 800 million crowns to 3.5 billion crowns as of 21 January 2016.
Since the second half of the 90s PASSERINVEST GROUP, as an investor and developer, has been primarily connected with the BB Centrum in Prague 4 – Michle, which is one of the largest and most successful development projects in the Czech Republic.

For more information and photographs in print quality please contact:

Kristýna Samková, Head of PR and Marketing
PASSERINVEST GROUP, a.s.
Tel.: (+420) 221 582 111, fax: (+420) 222 515 521
E-mail: Kristyna.Samkova@passerinvest.cz
www.passerinvest.cz, www.bbcentrum.cz

Ing. Marcela Štefcová
Crest Communications a.s.
Tel.: (+420) 222 927 125
Mobil: (+420) 731 613 669
E-mail: marcela.stefcova@crestcom.cz