EMT Madrid announces acquisition of 150 electric buses

Credit: Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid

The Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT Madrid) has announced that it has acquired a total of 150 standard electric buses for an amount of €81 million. The 12m buses will be gradually incorporated into the Madrid bus fleet between now and the end of 2023. The base budget for this tender has risen to €82.5 million.

With the next addition of electric buses in sight, EMT Madrid predicts that the municipal electric fleet will be made up of 190 vehicles by the end of 2022, reaching 329 vehicles by the end of 2023 – in line with the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy’s objective to accelerate the electrification of the city’s public transit fleet.

After winning the largest electric tender called by EMT Madrid to date, the buses have been manufactured by Irizar and the Solaris brand, who have provided 90 and 60 vehicles respectively.

Mayor of Madrid announces historic investment for EMT Madrid

Furthermore, the strategic plan that the Madrid City Council and EMT Madrid have designed until 2025 includes ambitious projects to advance electrification in the near future, such as the transformation of the current facilities of the La Elipa Operations Center into a reference centre to house a fleet of 100 per cent electric buses. This enclosure will have a capacity of up to 318 electric buses and will have a large photovoltaic installation that will be a benchmark for energy efficiency at the national level.

EMT Madrid’s plans also include the remodelling and adaptation of the Carabanchel, Entrevías and Sanchinarro operations centres to meet the new operational needs of the municipal company, with a focus on sustainability and efficiency. Decarbonisation and the adoption of a sustainable energy model is one of the four corporate objectives included in this strategic plan and all the actions that make up the plan respond to the challenges and needs of the authority, as well as current mobility trends.

This news follows the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida’s announcement at the start of 2022 of a historic investment of €1,001.8 million for EMT Madrid until 2025. In addition to the electrification of public transport, the mayor also promised to end the diesel bus fleet in 2022 as part of the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy.