A new, game-changing bus could make public transportation way more efficient — here’s what makes it so unique

Dutch company Ebusco, which makes electric buses and charging infrastructures, is rolling out a lightweight and energy-efficient electric bus.

Ebusco released the first official 3.0 bus to the public streets of Hilversum in the Netherlands, Electrek reported, in June 2023. The electric bus is 27% lighter than traditional buses of its kind.

That weight difference matters more than you might think. The heavier an electric vehicle is, the more energy its battery must expel to keep it moving, which generally results in a reduced range. Alternatively, in lighter vehicles, the battery doesn’t have to work as hard, so it enjoys a longer lifespan.

Ebusco said the 3.0 consumes “extremely low energy,” according to Electrek. The 3.0 bus comes in two sizes — 12 and 18 meters (39 and 59 feet) — that have ranges of 357 and 435 miles, respectively.

The bus is named the 3.0 because it is not the first model from Ebusco. Ebusco, the first European manufacturer to be approved for the production of electric buses, per its website, has been working on this new model for a decade.

In 2013, the innovator introduced the Ebusco 1.0 — its first zero-emissions bus — and in 2014, it introduced the Ebusco 2.0. The 3.0 is the result of years of research and redesign, and a 3.0 prototype has also already been on the roads in Munich since 2021.

Traditionally, it’s been known that taking public transportation, such as the bus, is better for the planet than driving individual vehicles. In fact, taking the bus can reduce the release of air-polluting carbon — a toxic gas contributing to the rising temperature of the earth — by 45%. However, riding an electric bus takes us several steps closer to a world free of air pollution.

Most traditional buses produce roughly 1.3 kilograms of pollution per kilometer traveled (about 4.6 pounds per mile). The Ebusco 3.0 bus will reduce this figure by approximately one kilogram of carbon pollution per kilometer traveled (about 3.5 pounds per mile). Because transportation accounts for 29% of heat-trapping gases, the Ebusco 3.0 can be an incredible asset in the fight against the overheating of our planet.

Ebusco plans to gradually roll more 3.0 buses onto public roads over the next few months, and it aims to produce 3,000 buses per year, according to Electrek.

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