Iveco wins tender for 70 electric buses for Nantes (branded by Heuliez)

70 Iveco Bus E-Way electric buses (although branded as Heuliez models as usual in the domestic market) are set to operate in Nantes following a call for tenders commission of Nantes Métropole.

The new buses will be operated by carrier Semitan (a semi-public company 65% owned by Nantes Métropole and 35% with private capital including Transdev) and used to replace end-of-life buses and support the development of the Naolib network. The procurement is financed by Nantes Métropole (with a budget of €62 million excluding tax.

The e-bus system implemented by Nantes Métropole and operated by Semitan has received the UITP Award for “Operational and technological excellence” category in 2022.

Semitan to deploy 70 electric buses in Nantes

The manufacturer will produce these buses at its Heuliez plant in Rorthais in the Deux-Sèvres region, 100 kilometers far from Nantes. The selected vehicle models are the GX 337 ELEC (12 meters) and the GX 437 ELEC (18 meters), from the Heuliez brand.

Around thirty standard buses will be put into service between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 at the Saint-Herblain Technical and Operations Center (Cetex). For articulated and Busway vehicles (18 meters), a gradual arrival is planned from 2027 at the La Vertonne Cetex in Vertou. These Cetex facilities will be adapted accordingly, Iveco states.

Measuring 12 and 18 meters long, the GX ELEC buses are equipped with the latest NMC battery technology from FPT Industrial (ready to be adopted this year), with a unit capacity of 69.3 kWh and designed to meet the most demanding missions in terms of daily range and passenger capacity. They are equipped with the Siemens Elfa III electric motor (provided by Accelera by Cummins), which offers a maximum power of 310 kW (3,000 Nm) on the standard version and 375 kW (4000 Nm) on the articulated version.

The GX ELEC buses for Nantes feature a CO2 heat pump and a new air distribution system.

Iveco – Heuliez electric buses for Nantes

According to Pascal Bolo, President of Semitan: “With the acquisition of these new electric buses, Semitan continues to support Nantes Métropole in its desire for an energy transition towards more sustainable mobility. For the company, this represents a challenge in terms of project management and maintenance, on one hand, to adapt the existing technical and operations centers to this new energy source without disrupting the daily operations of the Naolib network, and, on the other hand, to maintain these new vehicles, involving an evolution of technical skills within Semitan.”

Giorgio Zino, Head of IVECO BUS Europe Commercial Operations said: “Iveco France’s expertise in clean vehicles allows us to maintain the trust of Semitan and Nantes Métropole. We thank them for choosing our latest generation electromobility offer, which represents a relevant and high-performance solution to meet the challenges of the energy transition. We are very proud of this new success, which reinforces a strong and long-standing partnership with our GX and URBANWAY natural gas solutions and now our GX ELEC models.”