Bellach SO – Bus manufacturer Hess has won an international tender to supply electric buses to Lyon and Geneva. The delivery includes 248 electrically operated articulated and double-articulated buses. To this end, Hess will increase the size of its workforce.
Carrosserie Hess AG has won the international tender to supply one electric bus fleet each to Lyon and Geneva. According to a media release, 127 electrically powered articulated buses are to be delivered to France and 121 electric articulated and double-articulated buses to Geneva over the next four years. The supply agreement also calls for providing charging infrastructure and options for up to 241 additional vehicles by 2030.
In Lyon, the modern trolleybus fleet is to be used on routes previously served by diesel buses. 34 Hess articulated buses have been in service in Lyon since February 2021 on the C13 line, which carries more than 27,000 passengers per day. Starting in the spring of 2024, the line will be operated exclusively by new Hess articulated buses, which will be able to cover up to “40 percent of the route without overhead wires in battery mode.”
In Geneva, a turnkey system of vehicles and charging infrastructure is being deployed for the fleets of Transports Publics Genevois. The new e-buses from Hess are scheduled to go into operation in 2025 and will be charged within seconds via fast-charging stations at the terminal stops and at selected stops.
For Hess, the positive order situation for its E-bus systems means an expansion of capacity at the production sites in Bellach and at the new plant in Portugal. At the headquarters in Bellach, 40 additional specialists are to be hired for diagnostics, mechanics, automation and software development. The number of employees across the Group will increase to 800, he said. In addition, construction measures to expand and optimize production are planned for the coming months. ce/heg
