Flix-e-bus, The Electric Version Of Low-cost Buses, Tested In France
Flixbus is the first company of its kind to test electromobility in long-distance transport.
Cheap travel and zero emissions. This is how Flixbus, one of the best-known low-cost intercity bus companies, announces its new electric strategy.
The company is the first of its kind to test electromobility in long-distance transport. To do this, it has signed a collaboration agreement with BE Green, the green subsidiary of the transport group Autocars Dominique: together they will launch, already this April, two Flix-E-Buses, 60-seater buses with electric motor, which they will run on the Paris-Amiens line. 170 km to travel without consuming a drop of diesel.
“ Our goal is to help build the mobility of the future and we are convinced that E-Buses represent a long-term investment for our company, our customers and the environment ”, says André Schwämmlein, founder and CEO of FlixBus – “ This It is a project that particularly concerns us and in which we firmly believe, as we believe that it may represent an important turning point for the entire long-distance mobility sector ”.
The new Flix-E-Bus are manufactured by the Chinese Yutong, one of the largest in the sector. Electric buses have been used in China for a long time, “but – underlines Patrick Mignucci, CEO of Autocars Dominique – for specific services, excursions or transfers”. In other words, the French service must be the first in the world on a regular route.
Interest in the project is not only environmental. ” A 100% electric bus will spend about ten euros to refuel the energy that will allow it to travel from Paris to Amiens “, says Yvan Lefranc-Morin, CEO of Flixbus France. The diesel equivalent would cost at least 70 euros. “ Obviously, an e-bus costs 30% more than a traditional vehicle […] but the cost of energy, as well as the cost of parts and maintenance, is much lower, ” adds Mignucci. Therefore, France will test the new project with the aim of replicating it shortly (summer 2018 mentioned) in Germany, between the regions of Hesse and Baden-Württemberg.