Hitachi powers zero‑emission public transport in the Netherlands

Across the globe, cities are accelerating the shift to zero‑emission public transport to improve air quality, reduce noise, and meet increasingly ambitious climate targets. In the Netherlands, one of Europe’s most advanced markets for sustainable mobility, the city of Utrecht is emerging as a reference by committing to a fully electric urban bus network. Supporting this transformation, Hitachi is delivering an integrated, end‑to‑end solution that positions the project as a flagship for the Group’s e‑mobility capabilities. 

Following the start of its new 10‑year concession in December 2025, Transdev now operates electric buses across Utrecht city’s network, progressing toward a fully electric fleet. One of the world’s leading operators and integrators of public mobility services, Transdev is investing more than €350 million in the transition, including around 250 new electric buses and the integration of approximately 69 vehicles already in operation. Once complete, the fleet will serve nearly 50 routes and more than 30 million passenger journeys per year¹. 

Delivering zero‑emission public transport at this scale requires far more than replacing diesel buses with electric ones. Electrifying an entire fleet must account for space‑constrained depots, the coordination of energy use across tight operating schedules, and the need for a reliable energy supply to support fleet charging. This helps keep vehicles available and timetables running as planned. 

These operational requirements shape the scope of the Utrecht city project at two of Transdev’s bus depots, which brings together coordinated contributions from Hitachi Energy, Hitachi ZeroCarbon, and Hitachi Rail. The initiative is backed by Hitachi’s Strategic Social Innovation Business (SSIB), which focuses on accelerating social‑innovation efforts across the Group, ensuring alignment with its ‘Inspire 2027’ direction. By combining these complementary capabilities under a unified delivery model, Hitachi ensures seamless collaboration and a single, integrated interface for Transdev, demonstrating the One Hitachi approach in practice. 

At the core of the solution is Hitachi Energy’s Grid‑eMotion® Fleet charging infrastructure, which provides a compact, scalable charging backbone for large electric bus fleets. Designed to address depot space constraints, the solution supports fleet growth over time while enabling consistent electric day‑to‑day operations in Utrecht. 

Building on this foundation, ZeroCarbon Charge, a smart charging platform in the Hitachi ZeroCarbon portfolio, delivers intelligent charging capabilities that optimize energy use, balance loads, and significantly reduce operational costs.  

Long‑term performance is supported by Hitachi Rail’s local service capabilities, which provide preventive and corrective maintenance for the charging infrastructure under a dedicated service framework. In addition, Hitachi Rail supplies and maintains the validators used for passenger check-in on buses and trams within this concession. The same equipment is already deployed across all Transdev buses in the Netherlands, ensuring a consistent and reliable ticketing experience for passengers. 

Electric buses move through Utrecht’s historic streets with significantly lower noise levels, while eliminating tailpipe emissions improves local air quality around bus stops and residential areas, directly supporting better health and overall quality of life.

For the city, each electric bus helps advance climate commitments and reinforces Utrecht’s broader sustainability agenda, including its role as a “Global Goals City” aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals². The result is quieter streets, cleaner air, and a public transport system that people can rely on every day.