Grant Notice Handed Over to HCR Herne

On January 13th 2025, NRW Minister of transport Oliver Krischer handed over a grant notice amounting to around 6.5 million euros to Straßenbahn Herne-Castrop Rauxel GmbH. This lays the foundation for the electrification of Herne’s bus fleet.

The implementation of the charging infrastructure will be carried out by SBRS GmbH. We received the contract as part of a public tender and are looking forward to the implementation of the construction project. In two halls of the depot, 24 new charging stations for solo and articulated buses will be created. The vehicles will be charged via pantograph connection, which will be established through the charging hoods mounted in the roof structure of the vehicle halls.

Furthermore, the existing bus port will be expanded from six to twelve charging stations. Additionally, the Havarieplatz in Herne will receive two front-end dispensers with plug-in charging. In total, HCR will have 38 charging stations for the electric bus fleet, including the already existing charging points. The construction project includes the creation of 32 new charging stations with liquid-cooled chargers, each with a charging capacity of 150 kW. This charging capacity is sufficient due to the central location of the depot to charge the vehicles in a battery-friendly and long-lasting manner. The installation of fast-charging points with higher charging capacities is deliberately avoided to preserve the batteries and contribute to their longevity.

In addition to expanding the charging infrastructure, a new load and charging management system will be provided by SBRS. This system controls the distribution of electricity to the charging points and ensures that the maximum connection capacity at the site is not exceeded. The estimated construction time for the project is approximately one year.

We at SBRS GmbH are pleased to contribute to the electrification of the bus fleet in Herne and to relieve the environment through the expansion of the charging infrastructure. Shell aims to become a net-zero emissions energy company by 2050. A crucial role in this is expanding the charging infrastructure. We are already investing heavily in the development of charging facilities at and beyond the gas station, both for cars and increasingly for trucks. With the acquisition of SBRS, one of the leading providers of charging infrastructure solutions for commercial electric vehicles, including e-buses, Shell now also offers corresponding solutions for public transport as well as the transport and logistics sector.