FlixBus buses now run on solar energy

While China is filling the world's fleet with electric buses, German transport company FlixBus decided to improve its buses with solar panels. The first was a vehicle running the international route Dortmund to London. Passengers cover 600 kilometres of the route partly on diesel fuel and partly on solar energy. We analyse the benefits of this innovation and whether it makes sense to install such panels on other buses.

New technology in numbers

The route from the German city of Dortmund to London is 607 kilometres or 7.5 hours. During this time, large passenger buses consume about 170 litres of diesel fuel. This distance is about the same as from Kharkiv to Mykolaiv or Odesa.

To reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, flexible solar panels were installed on the roof of the buses. They were developed by the British company TRAILARwhich uses such panels on trucks and delivery vehicles. FlixBus buses became the first passenger transport in the world to use this technology.

Solar energy powers the battery, freeing the generator from the assistance of the internal combustion engine, which reduces diesel consumption and Saves approximately 10 litres over the entire route: every 100 kilometres, consumption was 1.7 litres lessthan usual. This helps to reduce CO2 emissions. These figures are expected to be much higher in spring and summer.

Solar energy is used not only to charge the battery, but also to supply power to all the electronics on the bus: TVs, air conditioners, Wi-Fi, USB ports, and sockets. Now everything that passengers use during the journey is powered by the sun.

Interesting fact

On the way from Dortmund to London, passenger buses pass under the English Channel through a unique 39 km long underground railway tunnel. The buses enter the carriages in France, travel through the tunnel for 35 minutes and exit in the UK.

What are the pros and cons of the technology

TRAILAR has already equipped 15 trucks with solar panels that transport goods across Europe. It turned out that the new system quickly pays for itself: Saves 5% of fuel and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 4 tonnes per year. It should be the same with buses.

Given that the European Commission has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, this is a significant step towards Europe's ability to meet the requirements of the Paris Climate Agreement.

However, there is an important nuance: the efficiency of solar panels directly depends on the time of year. For example, in winter, they will produce a minimum amount of energy, and diesel consumption will remain virtually unchanged. In summer, the efficiency of the batteries will be maximised. Therefore, such buses will be running much more frequently starting in April.

Our conclusion.

Solar panels are a transitional option. It will help reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel until Europe finally switches to electric buses that run all year round, regardless of the weather.

Perhaps the results will be more impressive over time. We need to wait for the summer, when there will be a lot of sun, and the batteries will start working as efficiently as possible. In the meantime, we will keep an eye on the companies' reports and tell you about them.