$583,000 Electric Urban Bus to Test Cities' Spending Plans

摘要

Volkswagen AG's MAN commercial-vehicle division expects its electric city buses, on sale as of 2019, to cost about 2.5 times more than conventionally powered ones, with the difference easing only in the following few years. MAN SE Chief Executive Officer Joachim Drees's estimate for the models, giving a price tag of around 500,000 euros ($583,000) a bus, highlights the struggle for vehicle manufacturers, cities and infrastructure providers to manage spending amid pressure to adopt zero-emission models to reduce pollution. The company predicts that a battery-powered bus's lifetime cost is likely by 2023 to roughly match figures for combustion-engine versions, Drees said Nov. 13 at a briefing in MAN's hometown of Munich.