Working with Transantiago
Enel has developed an electric bus model to offer a zero-impact alternative to operators competing for Transantiago, the urban public transport system of the metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile. Our Group has, in fact, developed a “turnkey” package that includes engineering and construction projects, as well as the provision of charging stations and energy to power all the electric buses of the Chilean capital's public transport system.
The economic benefits
The first two electric buses purchased from Enel and delivered to the operator Metbus were officially added to the Transantiago fleet in November 2017. The vehicles travel daily routes on the streets of Santiago, and are soon to be joined by extra buses to complete an electric fleet that will number 90 e-buses in total. Route 516 is one of Metbus’s most demanding journeys in that it transports more than a thousand passengers every day along a challenging route that includes a number of steep inclines. Each bus travels the
route from one end to the other four times a day, covering on average 230 kilometres. If we consider the efficiency in terms of Km/Kwh in a comparison with the average performance of a bus powered by a diesel engine, the reduction in costs is greater than 55%. And as far as operating and maintenance costs are concerned, there is no additional cost that can be attributed to electric motors compared to their polluting counterparts.
Enel provides the necessary infrastructure for charging the vehicles, enabling the widespread introduction of electric public transport in both the capital Santiago and in other metropolitan regions of Chile. The company is actually contributing towards decontaminating the cities, taking part in a process that is improving the quality of life of Chile’s citizens.
Manager of Enel X Chile
Enel has been involved from the very beginning in the process of integrating this new technology in the South American nation. This is precisely why some of our Group’s representatives were present for the Chilean Transport Minister Paola Tapia’s visit to China for the approval of the new vehicles, with the aim of supervising the delivery and ensuring that the high quality standards set at the design stage had been met. The alliance between Enel and Metbus has pioneered a new way forward and the Chilean company is the first to integrate the new electric technology into its fleet.
An enthusiastic response
After the e-buses’ first two months of operations, their passengers have expressed very high levels of satisfaction with the new sustainable public transport. According to reports, travellers on the Transantiago network responded very positively to the efficiency of the vehicle’s air conditioning system and the insignificant noise pollution created in the city’s streets. It has also been found that electric buses are less prone to vandalism and attempts to travel without tickets, thus highlighting a tangible process of cultural evolution in terms of public transport. Public mobility is getting greener every day in the Chilean capital: a model of good sustainable transport that we want to take elsewhere thanks to the e-mobility division of Enel X.
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