Romanian electric bus e-UpCity prototype successfully tested in Targu Mures

A prototype of the Romanian electric bus e-UpCity by manufacturer of road and passenger transport vehicles ATP Trucks Automobile of Baia Mare has been successfully tested by the local public transit company of Targu Mures, which plans to equip its fleet with environmentally friendly vehicles.

Transport Local S.A. Targu Mures Director General Tatar Bela said on Thursday that a prototype of the 100% electric ATP Bus e-UpCity was tested for two weeks in Targu Mures and found to be suitable for public transport.

The bus, with a capacity of 83 seats and a length of 12.18 meters, ran on the main lines, and transport was free for passengers. In addition, it has autonomy of at least 200 kilometres in the city, has free WI-FI and USB sockets with 2 built-in ports next to each set of seats.

ATP Group founder Mircea Cirt showed that the test results exceed the company's expectations and that this electric bus is a project that continues to develop.

"I am proud of what has been done. There are slight adjustments to which we have solutions, there are not major issues. The bus is calibrated according to the needs of each city. The production of a bus lasts between 8-12 months, as we depend on many suppliers," said Cirt.

Against the obligation of the local public administrations to meet the requirements to equip the fleets with zero-emission buses, Cirt says that great pressure is put on the car manufacturers because the market demand is much higher than the existing production capacities at global level.

"Almost everyone will be forced to meet the requirements to equip their fleet with zero-emission buses, but that puts a lot of pressure on car manufacturers, because market demand is much higher than the existing production capacities globally. (...) This idea of introducing a new technology with emission reductions is somewhat uncorrelated with the capabilities, but I am convinced that increasingly more players will appear in this field," said Cirt.

In May, the Targu Mures City Hall signed a purchase contract for 32 12-m long electric buses, with 10 fast charging stations and 32 slow charging stations, worth 81,920,000 lei, excluding VAT.