In the face of climate emergency, bus electrification is gaining ground all around the world. But this icon of clean mobility hides a range of technical, organisational and financial challenges, which towns and cities are working to address with the help of VINCI Energies. We take examples from Brisbane (Australia), Roanne (France) and Wiesbaden (Germany).
The electrification of public transport, including buses, is a key factor in the fight against climate change. But while acquisition and infrastructure costs are often seen as the main obstacles, other issues are actually more complex and crucial, not least the technical and organisational challenges.
The first of these relates to service continuity, where there are numerous issues to be overcome. The reduced range of electric buses, which can cover fewer kilometres between charges, necessitates constant monitoring of charge levels and battery status. Charging times are long, and for an active fleet operating from 5 a.m. one day to 1 a.m. the next, just four hours remain for heavy charging.
In addition, powering an entire fleet requires robust infrastructure, something which is often overlooked by conventional operators. For such complex systems to operate reliably, vehicle-charger communication, remote monitoring and fault management are all crucial.
These require multidisciplinary coordination between manufacturers of buses and charging stations, integrators, IT firms, and public operators.
Nevertheless, bus electrification continues to develop worldwide, though growth remains modest, with around 780,000 electric buses in circulation – just under 5% of the fleet worldwide (2024 figures). It is worth noting that China owns more than 90% of the world’s electric buses, with Shenzhen having completely electrified its fleet in 2017.
In Europe, 46% of new city buses sold in the EU in 2024 were electrical models.
Bus electrification is therefore not solely a question of finance. It is also, and perhaps primarily, a question of reliability, planning and collaboration between diverse stakeholders. In this context, recent initiatives in some cities show that it is possible to remove these barriers.
BRISBANE: THE ELECTRIFICATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN AUSTRALIA MOVES INTO HIGH GEAR
In Australia, transport is the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter. Transition of the transport sector to zero emissions is therefore essential to the fight against climate change. In the East Coast city of Brisbane, where buses are the backbone of the network, the city council launched an ambitious plan to equip the Queensland capital with charging infrastructure capable of supporting and expanding its electric fleet.
The first stage was to install four end-of-trip (EoT) rapid charging stations, one at either end of the network’s two main lines. Using an overhead pantograph, they can charge a bus in under six minutes – its turnaround time before retracing the route. “Each site can accommodate up to two rapid chargers,” says Harry Ashton, Perimeter Director at VINCI Energies Australia Noth East, the VINCI Energies subsidiary responsible for the project.
Next, the central depot was equipped with both fast and slow chargers. “This dual-mode configuration allows flexible energy management, including night-time charging and fast turnarounds during operating hours,” explains Harry Ashton. “The flash charging point in the depot is also an EoT charging location.” Night-time charging with plug-in CCS2 (Combined Charging System) chargers prolongs battery life, while flash sessions during the day ensure maximum availability.
Scalable solution
“All the infrastructure is based on a high-voltage 11 kV supply from Energex [Queensland’s electricity distributor] converted to high-power direct current,” continues Harry Ashton. “The equipment is housed in secure, climate-controlled containers and designed to be scalable; the depot will be able to accommodate 60 additional charging points.”
The installation is already serving 60 electric buses and points the way to a cleaner, smarter, more sustainable network.
The technical and organisational challenges are the most complex
ROANNE: FOCUS ON FRANCE’S FIRST 100% ELECTRIC BUS NETWORK
Launched in June 2022, the project in Roanne was developed to convert the entire bus fleet to electricity. “From the beginning, Roannais Agglomération and Transdev Roanne set out an ambitious vision: to become France’s first 100% electric network,” says Laure Fraboulet, eBus Business Manager at Mobility (VINCI Energies).
To achieve this objective, Mobility designed and installed a turnkey charging system, from the delivery substation to the charging points. “We took responsibility for the entire system,” says Mathieu Lamouroux, eBus Project Manager at Mobility, “from the engineering, supply and installation of the equipment to the monitoring and CWay smart charging software.”
The project proceeded in two phases: in May 2024 with the commissioning of 9 initial charging points and in May 2025 with 18 additional points, for a total of 27. The infrastructure includes high-voltage cells, a 1,600 kVA transformer, the master mains-voltage board, and 14 2×60 kW double chargers. The whole system will be controlled by CWay, which optimises charging according to operational needs.
“The big challenge was to deliver a reliable and scalable system to tight deadlines,” says Laure Fraboulet. “We also considered the network’s future needs so that the infrastructure will be able to accommodate changes over the years.”
Best-practice PPP
This project brings together a unique group of stakeholders within a public-private partnership (PPP): bus manufacturer Iveco, charger manufacturer Alphee, and the integrators Cegelec Mobility and Cegelec Roanne, each a VINCI Energies business unit.
“The strength of this project is cooperation,” says Mathieu Lamouroux. “All the stakeholders – local authorities, operator and industrial partners – were pulling in the same direction. This collective dynamic enabled us to meet the extensive technical and logistical challenges.”
The people of Roanne will ultimately benefit from a more environmentally friendly network that is also more pleasant to use. “Electric buses offer a more comfortable ride, less noise and no polluting emissions locally,” says Laure Fraboulet.
For the local authority and operator, the benefits are also strategic. “We delivered the infrastructure with total control over costs and deadlines, along with the tools necessary to ensure its reliability in the long term,” says Mathieu Lamouroux.
Projects in progress
Other ambitious projects are under way in Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon and Clermont‑Ferrand, but Roanne proves that such a transition is possible even for a medium-sized network. As Laure Fraboulet concludes, “Roanne shows that with a clear vision and committed partners, it is possible to accelerate the decarbonisation of public transport.”
WIESBADEN: TAKING THE INITIATIVE IN A RESTRICTIVE SITUATION
Bus electrification in Germany is not limited to battery-powered vehicles. Hydrogen and trolleybuses are also part of the landscape, for example in Solingen, to the east of Düsseldorf (North Rhine-Westphalia), where trolleys have been operating since the 1950s.
But electric buses still face considerable challenges. Benjamin Dahmen, Business Unit Manager at Omexom eMobility, highlights three major factors: “The high cost of vehicles and infrastructure, the dependence on subsidies (which ended for electric buses in 2025), and operational complexity due to charging times and the limited range. Add to that the financial constraints facing city councils, which are often heavily in debt, and the need to adapt depots and workshops.”
As a result, some towns and cities are making faster progress than others, depending on their strategy and means. To the west of Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, the state capital of Hesse, illustrates this well. The local transport company ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft made the decision to convert its entire diesel fleet to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. In support of this change, a colossal project was entrusted to several entities from VINCI Energies and the wider VINCI Group.
Massive project
Eurovia (VINCI Construction), Actemium and Omexom designed and built the architecture, including 120 charging points, across an 8,000 sq. metre site. The works took place between 2020 and 2024 and included earthworks, roads, cable networks, technical culverts and supply lines. Actemium Deutschland, based in Spremberg, along with Omexom Kraft und Lichtanlagen and Eurovia, provided all the planning services, including development of the overall concept (from the medium-voltage network to the charging point), and in collaboration with Omexom, engineered the electricity supply.
The VINCI Energies energy infrastructure brand also provided the two-storey transformer station supplying electricity to the entire installation. The project was unusual in that it took place with the depot in operation throughout, without disrupting bus traffic, and with some of the work underneath the roof.
With high costs and uncertain financing, the future of bus electrification in Germany remains linked to the ability of its towns and cities to mobilise partnerships and devise innovative economic models. By reaching this milestone, Wiesbaden has shown that change is possible even in a restrictive situation.
03/16/2026
