In the last days of January, Ikarus sent a brand new electric demo bus to Germany, where, in addition to the ongoing passenger traffic test runs, the Hungarian bus manufacturer has so far sold two copies of the 120e type. The vehicle that has just been delivered will transport passengers for the first time at the Biathlon World Championships, which will be held in the small town of Oberhof between February 8 and 19 in cooperation with the transport company MBB Meininger Busbetriebs GmbH.
MBB, which is responsible for the public transport of the Meiningen catchment area in Thuringia, is one of the most important German partners of Ikarus. This company previously also tested the Ikarus 125 HP prototype mounted on a Volvo chassis with a diesel engine. A locally zero-emission Ikarus 120e is currently operating on a long-term lease with the company. As a partner of the 2023 Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, the service provider will assist in the running of the large-scale event with a total of 49 buses, which will be regrouped from West and South Thuringia and Lower Franconia (another 38 buses will be provided by the Gessert-Reisen bus company). The organizers expect around 24,000 visitors per competition day, who, without exception, will travel to the competition locations by bus, as there needs to be adequate parking in Oberhof. The newly delivered Ikarus electric bus, made available free of charge by the Hungarian bus manufacturer, also plays a role in the contingent managed by MBB. According to the plans, the vehicle will later appear at other locations in Germany for demonstration purposes.
Together with this example, there are already five Ikarus 120e running abroad in rental construction or as test buses.
