In an exclusive interview with Global Mass Transit, Michel van der Mark, Program Director Innovation and Strategy, Qbuzz, discusses the Dutch public transport operator’s transition towards large-scale zero-emission bus operations, with nearly half of its fleet now operating emission-free. He highlights the operational and infrastructure challenges associated with electrification, including grid congestion, charging management, depot transformation, and the integration of multiple vehicle and charging technologies.
Van der Mark also shares insights into the growing role of AI in depot and fleet management, the evolving commercial viability of second-life batteries, and the importance of interoperability and digital ecosystems in managing mixed fleets. The interview further explores how operators are balancing infrastructure readiness with operational complexity while scaling up electric bus networks and building resilient, data-driven public transport systems for the future. Excerpts…
- Qbuzz operates ~50% zero‑emission. What were the hardest operational barriers in reaching that scale?
Reaching 50% zero‑emission required us to rethink almost every operational process. The biggest barrier was not the buses themselves, but the invisible ecosystem around them. Grid capacity, charger availability, peak‑time energy demand, and the integration of multiple OEMs all needed to work together flawlessly. Another major challenge was keeping operations reliable during the transition. We had to redesign depot workflows, retrain staff, and build new planning logic that takes energy, temperature and battery behaviour into account. Scaling up to hundreds of vehicles forces you to move from project thinking to system thinking very quickly.
- Is full electrification limited more by infrastructure or by operational complexity today?
Today, the limitation depends on the city, but infrastructure is increasingly becoming the defining bottleneck. In several regions, grid congestion means that even when operators and authorities are ready, electricity simply cannot be delivered at the required power levels. However, once infrastructure is secured, operational complexity becomes the next hurdle: managing charging strategies, energy costs, seasonal performance, and mixed‑technology fleets requires digital tools and real‑time insight. So it’s not an “either/or”—full electrification requires solving both, but infrastructure is now the harder barrier to accelerate.
- Second‑life batteries: already commercially viable, or still experimental?
Second‑life batteries are moving from experimental to practical, but the commercial models are still maturing. Technically, the performance is promising — especially for stationary applications with predictable charge‑discharge cycles. Commercial viability depends on two things: scale and standardisation. As more large ZE fleets reach mid‑life, the supply of used packs will increase, making refurbishment more economical. At Qbuzz, we see second‑life batteries as a realistic component of future depot energy systems, but the market is not yet fully mature. New stationary batteries still offer a stronger business case, but environmental and circular considerations make second‑life solutions an attractive and socially responsible option.
- Managing a mixed fleet of buses and chargers: what is the biggest integration challenge operators underestimate?
Operators often underestimate how fragmented the ecosystem is. Each bus OEM, charger vendor, and grid operator speaks a slightly different “language”, and the integration effort quickly becomes a hidden project of its own. The challenge is not technology, but interoperability and data quality. Real‑time insight into battery health, charger behaviour, energy consumption and vehicle availability needs to come together in one operational model. Without a unified digital layer, you risk inefficiencies, downtime, and unnecessary operational stress. That’s exactly why we built our own Zero Emission Ecosystem software, because at scale, integration becomes a mission‑critical discipline.
- How is AI actually improving day‑to‑day depot or fleet decisions — in real operations, not just pilots?
AI is already delivering value in daily operations. It helps us predict energy demand, battery ageing, and charging patterns so we can avoid peak tariffs and maintain a stable depot. It also identifies anomalies early, such as charger underperformance or unexpected battery degradation, allowing preventive action instead of reactive repair. In scheduling and dispatching, AI supports planners by recommending optimal charging strategies and flagging vehicles that may not complete their route. This isn’t experimental anymore; it’s quietly improving reliability, cost control, and decision‑making every day.
