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Tag: yutong

  • Carris Adds 29 Electric Buses to Expand Lisbon Fleet to 103

    Carris Adds 29 Electric Buses to Expand Lisbon Fleet to 103

    Lisbon public transport operator Carris has expanded its electric bus fleet with 29 Yutong U12 vehicles, lifting its total to 103 electric buses as part of an investment programme of more than €31 million.

    A total of €17.05 million is financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), according to Portuguese Secretary of State for Energy Jean Barroca, following the commissioning of 15 electric minibuses in 2026.

    Delivery Bottlenecks Open Doors For Chinese Makers

    Carris CEO Rui Lopo highlighted the delivery capacity of the European bus industry as a challenge for the fleet transition, as the municipal operator aims to procure and operate up to 150 new buses annually over the long term.

    The deployment delivers immediate commercial scale for Yutong in southern Europe, where municipal operators face rigid decarbonisation deadlines. For European fleet operators and component suppliers, Lisbon’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing shows an ongoing mismatch between local transit procurement timetables and domestic assembly throughput.

    Charging Network Investment

    Fleet expansion is running alongside depot grid upgrades. Carris will spend approximately €2 million on charging infrastructure at bus stops by the end of 2026, followed by more than €10 million scheduled for 2027 to install energy management systems and high-voltage grid connections.

    Under the national resilience funding framework, the municipal operator has installed 25 dedicated charging stations since 2022 alongside orders for 29 minibuses and 49 standard electric buses, investing €15 million from its own capital.

    Phasing Out Diesel Before 2030

    Lisbon has cut its operational diesel fleet from 524 to 379 vehicles, putting zero-emission units on more than half of all scheduled route kilometres. Earlier in 2026, Carris commissioned 15 electric minibuses ahead of the Yutong single-deck batch, following earlier procurements from domestic builder CaetanoBus in 2019 and 2023.

    Portugal and the European Commission are preparing a wider procurement programme to tender 1,006 zero-emission buses across 70 municipalities, with Carris targeting a full phase-out of fossil-fuel passenger vehicles by 2030.

  • Yutong Deploys 50 Electric Articulated Buses in Thessaloniki

    Yutong Deploys 50 Electric Articulated Buses in Thessaloniki

    Chinese commercial vehicle maker Yutong delivered 50 electric articulated buses to Thessaloniki, expanding the Greek city’s battery-powered transit fleet to roughly 160 vehicles. The 18-meter units entered commercial service across four municipal routes at the start of September.

    City transit agency OASTH hired 170 drivers to run the expanded schedule and increase trip frequencies across western Thessaloniki routes X1, 12, 27 and 32. Each vehicle carries up to 130 passengers and delivers an operating range of 300 kilometres on a single charge.

    Fleet Specifications and Route Coverage

    The buses feature air conditioning, ventilation units and tilt-and-turn passenger windows. Authorities did not release the exact model name, though the technical footprint points to Yutong’s U18 platform, which carries battery packs between 528 and 704 kilowatt-hours.

    Operating these articulated models across western routes targets heavy commuter corridors that link residential districts with commercial hubs. Deploying high-capacity zero-emission buses on fixed schedules allows municipal operators to cut fuel bills while meeting European urban emissions mandates.

    Chinese Bus Exports Push into Southern Europe

    For Chinese automotive exporters, fleet procurement contracts across Southern Europe provide steady volume outside domestic assembly markets. Yutong and its domestic competitors continue to win municipal tenders by bundling high battery capacities with prompt delivery timelines that European legacy coachbuilders struggle to match.

    The risk for Chinese suppliers sits in political scrutiny over European Union transit procurement and long-term depot maintenance. Winning tenders requires solid local aftersales partnerships, spare parts distribution hubs and dedicated charging support to avoid costly downtime for municipal operators.

    Expansion Following 2024 Joint Tender

    This deployment builds on an earlier procurement round in 2024, when transport authorities in Athens and Thessaloniki jointly bought 250 electric buses from Yutong. That delivery formed the core of Greece’s state-backed plan to replace ageing diesel fleets in its two largest metropolitan areas.

    OASTH plans to introduce additional routes and increase departure frequencies as the 170 newly recruited drivers complete route training during the winter timetable.