Drive Electro, one of the leading makers of electric bus batteries in Europe, will be supplying 200 batteries for electric public buses in Moscow, Russia. This is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
The battery company is no stranger to the Russian electric bus segment, as it has supplied components to the city’s electric buses before.
According to Drive Electro, “Most of the batteries and propulsion equipment for the Russian capital’s electric buses are made by Drive Electro, which has manufactured and supplied components for 400 of the city’s electric vehicles.”
Moscow currently has 600 electric buses and is planning to increase the number to an impressive 1000 before the end of 2021. This is more than any other European city, even though Russia does not have a reputation as an electric mobility hub.
Drive Electro will supply batteries made from lithium titanate, which are good for ranges between 350 and 400 km. They will charge rapidly, taking under 20 minutes for a full charge. This means they will not idle for a long time at the charging stations.
The batteries have been optimized to work at both high and low temperatures, a crucial requirement for a city like Moscow that can have temperatures at both extremes. Drive Electro will also undertake maintenance work as part of the agreement, by servicing the buses’ powertrain when necessary. It has been doing this on the existing buses since 2019.
To further its own expansion plans, Drive Electro will open its own electric bus battery manufacturing plants and even make electric trucks of its own. Total capacity is slated to be 1000 battery packs per year and 500 trucks per year. About 5.2 million dollars have been set aside for the development.
The truck Drive Electro will produce is most likely the Moskva, which it unveiled last year and gave to retail giant Magnit to test extensively. Depending on the outcome of the test, Magnit may be its first customer as there is option for another 200 electric trucks.