Electric Mobility is here to stay. However, at CaetanoBus, this form of environmentally friendly mobility has been part of our day for almost three decades when we started to study, develop and test electric mobility as an efficient solution for passenger transport. In 1984, a proposal for trolleybuses with EFACEC traction was presented, with these units being aimed at STCP, for the Electric Circuit of Porto, and for SMTUC, for the Electric Circuit of Coimbra. Later in 1993, 8 Cobus 200EL models were developed and delivered to Germany.
Today, CaetanoBus has a consolidated offer in electric mobility products for cities and airports, resulting from our high technical capacity in developing unique mobility and engineering solutions that are Customer orientated.
The challenges imposed by the growing mobility needs of people and goods has put pressure on the vital balance for the sustainability of the planet, demanding a reduction in traffic in urban centres. This reality has prompted a search for mobility solutions based on the use of renewable energy, less polluting and which can simultaneously reduce the level of noise in cities.
The path for sustainable mobility is a challenge we have accepted. We want to stand as the Champions of Electric Mobility, where we deposit, in our technical capacity, the traction providing energy to our mission to provide a better quality of life for people. Our challenge in the area of Electric Mobility is essentially based on three relevant assumptions:
The growing need for non-polluting vehicles, mainly in urban centres.
Technological evolution that allows this type of solution to exist.
The creation of infrastructures to feed electrical vehicles.
To us, innovation is not just a sophisticated word, but instead the result of a set of processes which have always been present at CaetanoBus, since 1955, where we were the first Company in Portugal to launch a bus with a body made totally from steel, as an alternative to wood, which was the material most used at the time.
Our growing commitment to innovation was also present in the development of electric buses. Between 2010 and 2015, we invested approximately 7 Million Euros in R&D projects and in the development of electric mobility solutions. This is the result of our commitment to Portuguese engineering and in the specialised training of our technicians.
Our know-how in the development of electric buses has grown in recent years where we have tested our solutions in various global environments, from the most urban to environments with harsh climates and temperatures. In recent years, we have tested our electric buses in major cities and airports around the world, as in the case of the cities of Stuttgart and Helsinki, and Schiphol, Vienna, Graz, Stuttgart and Dresden Airports, together with the best operators and technicians of the sector in order to guarantee a trustworthy technological reliability.
Aware of the growing needs for sustainability at airports, the e.COBUS – 1st 100% Electric Exclusive Airport Bus in the World was developed with Siemens, to make the most of the fleet of 3,500 airport buses in more than 100 countries. This vehicle is based on two technical solutions: the manufacture of a completely new electric bus and/or the re-conversion of a diesel vehicle, at the end of its life, into a vehicle with a new design and electric traction.
In 2016, CaetanoBus presented an electric solution for cities with the introduction of the e.City Gold. This model is a bus for the urban segment, 100% electric, designed to meet cities’ sustainability needs. Aware of the environmental challenges that society is facing, CaetanoBus developed and produced this electric bus for urban transport, which meets the current demands of operators and the sustainability of the urban environment.
