Out of order. DPP had to shut down all 14 Czech-Turkish electric buses from Skoda
The operation of electric buses was temporarily suspended due to a malfunction of the automatic chassis leveling system.
All E’CITY 36BB electric buses supplied by Skoda Electric to the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) have temporarily disappeared from the streets of Prague. The operation of electric buses was suspended due to mechanical faults; they were replaced by classic diesel buses.
The operation shutdown was confirmed by DPP. “The electric buses we bought this year have mechanical defects. We have complained about these defects to the manufacturer in accordance with the contract,” DPP spokesperson said.
The faults on the electric buses started to appear in the past weeks, and now for the first time none of them have been put into service. “On the basis of an agreement with the manufacturer, we have shut down the operation of all 14 electric buses so that the manufacturer’s technicians could gradually remove the defects. For the time being, we will dispatch diesel buses on lines 154 and 213 instead. Once the manufacturer has removed the defects, we will gradually put the electric buses back into regular service,” DPP claims.
“The operation of electric buses was temporarily suspended due to a malfunction of the automatic chassis leveling system. This is not a deficiency that could endanger the safety of operation, but a modification of the control software will be necessary,” said Skoda Transportation spokesman Jan Svehla.
Skoda Electric worked on the contract with Temsa, its Turkish affiliate. Temsa supplied the bodywork for the electric buses which Skoda subsequently equipped with electrical equipment including batteries. The total value of the contract, including options (e.g. for the purchase of new batteries), is CZK 207 million, 85 percent of which is covered by European subsidies. According to DPP CEO Petr Witowski, the carrier plans to launch a tender for another 100 electric buses and 70 trolleybuses later this year.