The FINANCIAL — The Ukrainian town of Chernivtsi has begun testing its innovative hybrid trolleybuses. The trolleybuses are equipped with batteries, which ensure they can travel a minimum of 15 km. They are also equipped with air conditioning systems.
The new trolleybuses are designed to improve the public transport system of Chernivtsi by making it more energy efficient, as well as covering the part of the town which currently has no trolleybus lines, according to the EU Neighbours portal.
Chernivtsi has also begun implementing its energy efficiency and climate action demonstration project in 2018, financed by the EU under the second round of the “Covenant of Mayors Demonstration Projects” programme. The project will ensure that street lighting in the town is sustainable and energy efficient, which will improve the quality of life of citizens and make the city safer. As a result, the city also expects to save energy and reduce its CO2 emissions.
Covenant of Mayors – Demonstration Projects (CoM-DeP) are part of the EU4Energy initiative. EU4Energy covers all EU support to improve energy supply, security and connectivity, as well as to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewables in the Eastern Partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine). It does this by financing projects and programmes that help to reform energy markets and to reduce national energy dependence and consumption. Over the long term, this makes energy supply more reliable, transparent and affordable, thus reducing energy poverty and energy bills for both citizens and the private sector.
