VIDEO. Bordeaux: How the TBM network is preparing for the turn of the electric bus
Bordeaux Métropole is testing these days the Bolloré Bluebus on the Liane 15, before testing six other types of vehicles, the objective being to order about sixty electric buses in 2022Mickaël Bosredon Posted on 03/06/19
Bordeaux Métropole has just launched a full-scale test of large capacity electric buses on its transport network. Over a period of six months, the city will thus test vehicles from seven different manufacturers, in real conditions, on the Liane 15 which runs from Villenave d'Ornon to Bordeaux-Lac, before possibly ordering in 2022 to replace its fleet of buses running on diesel. It has just started its experiment with the Bolloré Bluebus.
Why would you want to replace the fleet of diesel vehicles with electric buses?
Bordeaux Métropole anticipates the Mobilités law which should prohibit diesel vehicles by 2040. "We have chosen not to renew our diesel-powered vehicles when they are replaced in 2022," explains the vice-president. in charge of transport, Christophe Duprat (LR). This represents only 20% of the fleet, or around 60 buses, since we had made from the end of the 1990s the choice of a fleet of NGV (Natural Gas for vehicles) buses, which today represent 70% of the fleet [the remaining 10% are hybrid vehicles]. "
Why test seven manufacturers on the Liane 15?
“Before launching into a possible market, we wanted to test in real conditions a certain number of manufacturers [Bolloré, but also Alstom, MAN, Yutong, Heuliez…] details Christophe Duprat. The idea may be to have, from 2023, specific lines running only electric. "For Hervé Lefèvre, director of Keolis Bordeaux," this test will allow us to assess the range of these vehicles under normal traffic conditions, with customers on board who will use all the auxiliary power supplies to the engine. "
Vehicles will also be tested “with or without heating, with or without air conditioning, etc. They are currently announced with a range of 200 km / day, which is a bit fair for the Bordeaux network, but the various manufacturers should be able to offer vehicles traveling between 260 and 280 km in the next three years.
What exactly is the Bolloré Bluebus?
The Bluebus currently represents the largest fleet of 12-meter electric buses traveling in France. "We have 56 Bluebus trains running in Paris, on line 341 which is fully electric, and on lines 115 and 126 where we alternate electric and thermal" explains Christian Studer, the spokesperson for Bluebus. “We are also present in Rennes and Vichy, and we won calls for tenders in Brussels and another for 800 buses in Ile-de-France with two other manufacturers. "
The Bluebus operates with four batteries located on the ceiling and four at the rear. They weigh a total of 2,4 tonnes and recharge in five hours. Bolloré guarantees them for six years, "even if we are certain that they will live for ten years. The cost of this vehicle is 320.000 euros, to which must be added 240.000 euros of batteries, which gives an overall cost 25 to 30% higher than a diesel bus.And how does this electric bus behave?
We met Philippe Mesnard, an experienced driver from the TBM network, responsible for piloting the Bluebus during this experimentation phase. "The start-up procedure is different," he explains, "but driving doesn't really change from a conventional bus, except that it is more pleasant, and when braking you return from the energy in the batteries, so you have to play with it constantly. It's just a blow to take at the start, but I had an hour's training from the manufacturer, and that's more than enough. "
Does the TBM network target other “clean” engines?
"We will try to inject biogas into our CNG," explains Christophe Duprat, who recalls that gas is considered to be a fossil fuel. Then, in addition to the electrics which should notably equip the 18-meter bus fleet of the future BHNS Gare Saint-Jean-Saint-Aubin, the city is also interested in hydrogen. "We are impatiently awaiting the launch of the first hydrogen BHNS in Pau on September 9"; launches Christophe Duprat. “What we want is to ultimately offer an energy mix, with biogas, hydrogen and electricity. The elected official finally recalls that the share of the tram, which runs on electricity, will represent 70% of the entire TBM network when line D opens at the end of the year.
