A new stage in the Green Cities project: The transition of public transport from polluting and noisy diesel buses to electric ones. After the project was implemented in Karmiel and Dimona two to three years ago, this year Egged and the Transport Ministry are reaching the two geographic ends of the country: Eilat in the south and Kiryat Shmona in the north.
In Eilat, around 40 city buses currently operate - all of which will be replaced with electric buses by the end of 2026. The buses have already been purchased and are on their way to Israel. Over the past year, two electric buses were operated as a pilot to test their durability in the city’s extreme heat conditions, since heat affects battery efficiency. Charging infrastructure will be established at Egged’s operational base in the industrial zone, with funding from the Transport Ministry. The of Transport Ministry aims to expand electrification also to the routes connecting Eilat with Ramon Airport. In Kiryat Shmona, around 20 electric buses will be deployed.
The Transport Ministry and the Environmental Protection Ministry determined several years ago that from 2026 no more diesel city buses will be purchased in Israel. Due to a shortage of charging depots, the ministry has in some cases approved companies to purchase additional diesel buses this year as well, but Egged stopped purchasing diesel city buses more than two years ago.
However, the revolution is still mainly limited to city routes: Although electric buses with 500 kWh batteries already exist on the market - similar in capacity to those of eight electric crossovers - their range is still limited for intercity travel, which is faster on one hand and consumes more electricity, but on the other hand is more continuous with far less regenerative braking. Therefore, intercity electric buses are currently operated only on suburban routes with frequent stops, and it will take a few more years before they are seen on long-distance routes. When that happens, they may be buses with solid-state batteries, or even fuel-cell-based systems that generate electricity from hydrogen.
Haifa was the first city where Egged began operating a large fleet of electric buses about five years ago, following an extended pilot. The preparations proved successful, and Egged changed its operating method so that the night depot includes an expanded team ensuring that buses are charged for the morning, in addition to computerized monitoring systems. The decline in battery capacity after long-term use is so far occurring at the expected rate, so the buses continue to operate normally. Their operating cost is lower, especially after the rise in diesel prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but the company is still waiting to see whether battery replacements beyond the manufacturer’s warranty will be required in order to complete the full economic assessment.
“Electrification of public transport is one of the most important strategic projects taking place in Israel in recent years, and Egged is at the forefront of it,” says Nir Landau, Deputy CEO for Administration at Egged. “In cooperation with the Public Transport Authority, we will operate over 900 electric buses by the end of the year - and that is only part of the picture: As a group, including our activity in Europe, we will reach more than 1,500 electric buses.” “The peak of this process is the ‘Green Cities’ project. We have already turned Dimona and Karmiel into cities where all public transport is fully electric, and now we are continuing: We are heading south to Eilat and north to Kiryat Shmona. This is a true revolution. The electric buses are pleasant, quiet, and clean, and this is what the residents of these cities will experience starting at the end of this year.”