he Nordic region’s largest public transport operator, Nobina, is upgrading its buses in Finland from diesel to electric. Wennstrom carried out the electrification project of the depot located in Roihupelto, Helsinki, in the summer of 2022, and now the new charging stations serve a total of 58 buses and a large number of passengers in the East Helsinki area
Nobina Group is an industry leader in Finland and in other Nordic countries. The company transports over 300 million passengers every year and employs more than 13,000 people in total. In Finland, Nobina operates in the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Turku region with approximately 1,400 employees and 500 buses.
In early 2022, Nobina launched a tender for the electrification project of its Roihupelto depot in Helsinki and selected Wennstrom as its partner. The companies already had a long-standing collaboration in fuel distribution equipment and maintenance services, but the Roihupelto project was their first joint venture in electric charging solutions. On Nobina’s side, the construction project was led by Business Development Manager Janne Pusa.
The project was large and challenging in many ways. Firstly, the complexity was increased by the scope of the project and the tight schedule. Secondly, the Roihupelto site was not originally intended for depot use, as it is an old industrial property. Therefore, modifications had to be made to the existing technology, transformers, and electrical switchboards, Janne Pusa explains.
Since public transport must operate every day of the year, renovation and upgrade projects had to work around the operational requirements—and this was also the case here. In addition, the Roihupelto depot faced space constraints caused by continuous traffic during the project, something that required careful coordination. Despite these challenging conditions, the new charging stations were commissioned on schedule on August 15, 2022.
– As an operator, it was of course important for us that the charging stations were operational according to the planned schedule. It was great that, despite the complexity of the project, we managed to achieve success through good cooperation, says Pusa.
On a green journey
The electrification of the Roihupelto depot is part of Nobina’s broader commitment to environmental sustainability, which also includes initiatives such as the “Green Journey” concept aimed at promoting economical driving practices. Nobina’s environmental actions truly make a difference, as the company is the largest public transport operator in the Nordic region and one of the ten leading public transport groups in Europe. Nobina transports about one million passengers every day in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
In Finland, Nobina operates in the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Turku region with a total of about 500 buses, 40% of which are electric. The 29 charging points installed at the Roihupelto depot now serve 58 buses simultaneously, as each point can charge two buses. The new charging stations cover an estimated 4% of HSL’s total bus fleet.
On Wennstrom’s side, the Roihupelto depot electrification project was led by Project Manager Taneli Jokinen.
– Nobina is an important customer for us. We have worked together for a long time, and both companies have a clear direction toward more electric transport. The electrification project completed in August was a significant undertaking for both companies, says Taneli Jokinen.
The project was an important step in Nobina’s goal to operate in an environmentally friendly way and to invest heavily in fleet electrification. Another key value for the company is safety, which is why it was great that the depot electrification project was completed without any safety incidents or accidents. According to Development Manager Janne Pusa, good and continuous communication played an important role in the success of the project.
There can never be too much communication, and we have always had a good dialogue with Wennstrom. Our cooperation has been functional, open, and smooth overall, Janne Pusa concludes.
