Germany / Poland - Claiming it to be the first application globally, Konvekta AG of Schwalmstadt, Germany has revealed that since the start of this year, the first electric articulated bus (a Solaris Urbino Electric 18), equipped with a Konvekta CO2 heat pump thermal management system, has been operated by the public transport company, VAG in Nuremberg.

As electrically-driven buses produce no exhaust heat, which could be used to heat the passenger compartment. Konvekta says efficient temperature control in single is relatively easy to manage and has already been managed quite well, but temperature control in articulated and double-deck buses is more challenging because due to size and length more than one thermal management system is required, which then have to be networked optimally. Furthermore, the demands on temperature control, is made more complex because while traditional applications required control of the bus interior (i.e. driver's place and passenger compartment, temperature control of the whole vehicle is required such as batteries and electric motor.