VDV- recommendation No. 825: Requirements for depots and workshops when using city buses with clean and/or zero emission drive systems [PDF]

Edition 02/2023

VDV recommendation 825 provides a recommendation for action on a subject area of steadily increasing importance.

The VDV recommenadtion 825 "Effects of the "Clean Vehicles Directive" in public transport bus on depots and workshops" was published in 2020. The "Clean Vehicles Procurement Act" (SaubFahrzeugBeschG) specified the "Clean Vehicles Directive" and transposed it into national law. The resulting new general conditions and requirements for the procurement and operation of city buses with clean and/ or zero emission drive systems in connection with the necessary infrastructure made it necessary to revise this publication again.

Due to ongoing technical advancements, increasing system complexity and the further challenges arising from the drive and traffic turnaround, a continuous adaptation of this publication will also be necessary in the future.

As a result of the alternative drives, the depot will have to specialise more strongly in infrastructure in the future. The in the future existing infrastructure must be particularly protected, and if it is lost, it will be difficult to switch to other depots/ infrastructure. This increases the operational and economic importance of the depot.

Due to the knowledge gained in the evaluation of incidents (e.g. fires of vehicles in bus depots), the topic of "fire protection" will be subject to detailed consideration in this revision.

With this publication, the VDV expert committee for depots and workshops provides assistance for the introduction or expansion of the use of vehicles with alternative drive systems, in particular for the adaptation of processes, the infrastructure, the operation and maintenance concepts as well as the qualification of personnel. Likewise, the mixed operation of diesel buses and vehicles with alternative drive systems is considered in the course of the gradual technology transition.

VDV recommendation 825 deals with the planning, construction (modification or construction) and operation of depots and workshops for regular city buses as well as the operation of regular city buses.

The current issue of VDV publication 825 replaces the publication from 2020.