RhönEnergie is putting six more electric buses into operation

RhönEnergie Verkehrsbetriebe have added six more electric buses to their fleet. This brings the total number of E-buses operating in Fulda’s public transport system to 13. Further expansion is already planned: 17 more vehicles are set to join by summer 2027.

The six new buses are of the MAN Lion’s City 12 E type. These 12-meter-long electric buses have five battery modules on the roof with a total capacity of 445 kWh, enabling a range of up to 320 kilometers. The electric motor delivers a maximum power of 240 kW. Inside, there are 30 seats and 49 standing spaces available. The equipment includes an air conditioning system as well as various assistance systems such as collision and lane departure warnings, traffic sign recognition, attention warning, and tire pressure monitoring. The new vehicles will be used in Fulda’s urban traffic.

"With these six new electric buses, we continue steadfastly on our path toward modern and sustainable mobility," says Martin Heun, spokesperson for the management of the RhönEnergie Group. For RhönEnergie, this recent procurement is already the third major phase in electrifying its bus fleet. In 2018, the first electric bus in Hesse, according to the company, began operating routes in Fulda. Six more vehicles followed by the end of 2021. By early 2025, these seven electric buses had collectively traveled about 750,000 kilometers on electricity.

The company had already received funding of over 1.63 million euros for the six vehicles delivered so far in early 2025. At that time, RhönEnergie estimated the cost of an electric bus at around 650,000 euros, which is more than double that of a comparable diesel bus. The funding was intended to cover roughly three-quarters of the additional cost. The funds come from the Federal Ministry of Transport’s “Guidelines for Supporting Alternative Propulsion Systems in Public Buses.”

Another 17 electric buses to follow in 2027

The expansion is set to proceed swiftly. RhönEnergie has already ordered 17 additional electric buses. Twelve of these are intended for use in Fulda’s urban transport, while five more are for the Main-Kinzig district. Delivery is scheduled for summer 2027. This will increase the company’s electric bus fleet to a total of 30 vehicles, turning the single electric bus from 2018 into a larger fleet.

The models that will be used in the next procurement and how the 17 vehicles will be financed are not specified in the available information. At the beginning of 2025, RhönEnergie noted that the pace of fleet conversion largely depended on available subsidies or declining prices for electric buses. As is known, the federal government has since introduced new funding for electric buses under a new subsidy program.