Kempower has strengthened its presence in Italy by delivering DC charging solutions to public transportation operator T-PER (Transporto Passeggeri Emilia-Romagna) and its bus depot — one of the biggest depots in Europe with 500 vehicles. The depot opened in Via Ferrarese, Bologna, on March 25, 2024, and it is Italy’s first equipped with Kempower charging solutions.
The project is a key milestone for the city of Bologna, enlisted among the 100 cities of Horizon Europe’s mission, whose objective is to reach climate neutrality by 2030. That is 20 years earlier than the deadline set by the European Union regarding environment, energy and climate.
A total of 75% of EU citizens live in cities, which consume over 65% of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions. The transition to a more sustainable public transport system plays a pivotal role not only in reducing emissions, but also in offering cleaner air, safer transport and less congestion and noise.
Bologna is leading the net-zero public transport transition among Italian cities, and the opening of this new e-bus charging site is key for the city to comply with its sustainability goals. At this site, TPER will charge 20 electric buses (12 and 18 meters long) simultaneously with five single-output Kempower Satellites to be used as an auxiliary charging point capable of charging up to 130 kW, and 20 Kempower Pantographs that can charge up to 300 kW.
“At T-PER, our motto is that ‘a bus serves as a bus,’ as to say that all our vehicles, including e-buses, must properly operate on their assigned routes,” says Fabio Monzali, technical director for infrastructure at T-PER. “This is how we can ultimately ensure our efficiency and thus long-term operations.
“I was therefore looking for an utterly reliable charging solution for our e-fleet, to prevent any of our e-buses from stopping at any time due to lack of power,” adds Monzali. “The modular Kempower’s power unit and the related dynamic power management allow us to grant charging even in case a fault should occur. Failing power modules can even be remotely isolated for servicing, allowing uninterrupted operation for the rest. This is extremely important for us.”
As TPER expands its electric bus fleet, the demand for charging capacity at the depot will rise accordingly. Kempower’s modular and scalable charging solutions will allow TPER to easily increase the charging capacity at the depot when needed.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to contribute to TPER’s initiative to electrify the public transportation in the region,” says Tommi Liuska, chief sales officer at Kempower. “Electrification of public transport is an important step for the municipality of Bologna when working toward its climate goals, and we look forward to further expanding our collaboration with TPER as the need for reliable charging solutions increases.”
