Dancer Mobility launched in Lithuania: operational lease services for Dancer bus customers

European Energy Efficiency Fund (eeef) and Dancer manufacturer announce that they have established the company Dancer Mobility to provide all-inclusive operational lease services of electric buses manufactured in Lithuania to public authorities. The company is the outcome of an investment made together by eeef and Vėjo Projektai, the manufacturer of the Dancer bus. Two vehicles have already been purchased by the City of Klaipėda in Lithuania.

Dancer Mobility in charge of operational leases

The purchase of e-buses and their operation will be financed by Dancer Mobility, the company higlights. All-inclusive operational leases provided by Dancer Mobility to public authorities will cover bus usage, charging infrastructure, green energy supply and full maintenance.

The European Energy Efficiency Fund (eeef) is a “société d’investissement à capital variable” governed by Luxembourg law and was initiated by the European Commission in cooperation with the European Investment Bank. The initial capitalization provided by the European Commission was increased with contributions from the sponsors European Investment Bank, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti as well as DWS, Vėjo Projektai explains.

Dancer bus, a project from scratch

The launch of Dancer bus follows a test of composite materials applied to an old Skoda trolleybus, that has been converted to fully electric battery-based operation in Dancer’s labs. After this, the concept electric bus was created through the use of composite materials, also derived from recycled PET bottle plastic. The vehicle, 12 meters long, is equipped with in-wheel motors (the ZF AxTrax delivering a total of 250 kW).

The bus, that was awarded with a Golden A’ Design Award 2019 – 2020, is fully equipped with comfort measures such as a modern AC system, high-speed wireless internet, USB sockets and an extendible ramp for wheelchair access. The bus also provides comfortable features for drivers such as night vision cameras transmitting 3D simulation of the surroundings to monitors that replace mirrors, the company highlights.

Electric buses, the comparison with… Tesla cars

“Frequently, Dancer busses are compared with Tesla cars. We can surely tell that Dancer charges 15 times faster than Tesla, yet our bus can transport 20 times more passengers and consumes only 3 times more energy”, said Alvydas Naujėkas, the CEO of Vėjo Projektai. Tesla, by the way, so far has not demonstrate any interest in the electric bus segment.

“As CEO of an electric mobility consultancy, I have had the opportunity to visit a variety of companies in this space over the past few years. Rarely have I seen a company like Dancer which, through research and innovation, has made significant headway in a highly competitive and traditional sector composed primarily of large bus companies. This is possible due to the product’s exceptional quality standards and the ability of the management to surround itself with a highly innovative and professional team”, notes Massimo Galli CEO at EVE electric vehicle consulting company, as reported by the Lithuanian manufacturer.