Schleswig-Holstein Surpasses Clean Transport Targets with 62% E-Bus Share

Nearly two-thirds of newly purchased buses in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein were fully emission-free between August 2, 2021 and the end of 2025, according to figures released by the state's Ministry of Transport. The Schleswig-Holstein transport ministry reported that 61.9% (share of new buses) — emission-free e-buses among newly procured public fleet vehicles were electric, far surpassing the legal minimum of 22.5 percent set for the reference period. A broader measure, counting buses running on any non-fossil alternative fuel including hydrogen, placed the clean bus share at 72.5 percent. The results cover all road vehicles newly procured by public contracting authorities in the state during that four-and-a-half-year window. The figures were released on March 28, 2026, and distributed by the German Press Agency.

Municipalities credited for absorbing higher transition costs Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen of the CDU, who has served as Minister for Economy, Transport, Labor, Technology, and Tourism in Schleswig-Holstein since June 2022, attributed the strong results directly to local governments and their public companies. „This positive result is due first and foremost to the municipalities and their companies, which have not shied away from the additional costs of switching to clean and emissions-free road vehicles in the spirit of the Clean Vehicles Procurement Act for the benefit of a better environment with lower air pollutant emissions” — Claus Ruhe Madsen via dpa The minister's remarks acknowledged that the shift to electric and alternative-fuel fleets carries a financial burden that municipalities chose to absorb. The state government did not announce any specific subsidy figures in connection with the results. The data underscores a broader pattern of public-sector fleet renewal across the state's transport network.

Cars and trucks also beat targets, though by narrower margins Beyond buses, other vehicle categories also exceeded their legal minimums, though by smaller margins. For passenger cars, minibuses, and light commercial vehicles, the clean share reached 42.1 percent against a target of 38.5 percent. For trucks — a category that includes waste collection vehicles — the share was 28.9 percent, nearly three times the 10 percent minimum required by law. Under the definitions used by the ministry, cars and light vehicles are classified as clean if they emit no more than 50 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, while trucks and buses qualify if they run on alternative fuels that cannot be blended with fossil fuels. The results across all categories show Schleswig-Holstein's public sector consistently outperforming the thresholds set by federal legislation.

Emission-free buses (actual): 61.9, Emission-free buses (target): 22.5, Clean buses (actual): 72.5, Clean buses (target): 45, Cars/minibuses/light vans (actual): 42.1, Cars/minibuses/light vans (target): 38.5, Trucks (actual): 28.9, Trucks (target): 10

Stricter 2030 targets now set the next benchmark for the state The Clean Vehicles Procurement Act that drove these results now sets higher benchmarks for the period running to the end of 2030. The target for clean buses rises from 45 percent to 65 percent, while the emission-free bus requirement increases from 22.5 percent to 32.5 percent. For trucks, the minimum climbs from 10 percent to 15 percent, while the threshold for cars, minibuses, and light commercial vehicles remains at 38.5 percent. The law obliges the public sector to procure vehicles with zero or low emissions as a structural mechanism for reducing transport-sector pollution. Given that Schleswig-Holstein already achieved 61.9 percent emission-free buses in the previous period, the new 32.5 percent emission-free bus target appears well within reach, though the clean bus target of 65 percent will require sustained procurement momentum.

Schleswig-Holstein clean vehicle targets: 2025 vs. 2030: Clean buses (before: 45% (target until 2025), after: 65% (target until 2030)); Emission-free buses (before: 22.5% (target until 2025), after: 32.5% (target until 2030)); Trucks (before: 10% (target until 2025), after: 15% (target until 2030)); Cars, minibuses, light vans (before: 38.5% (target until 2025), after: 38.5% (target until 2030))

Germany introduced the Clean Vehicles Procurement Act to transpose a European Union directive requiring member states to ensure that public bodies purchase a minimum share of clean and zero-emission vehicles. The law took effect on August 2, 2021, establishing the first reference period that ran through the end of 2025. The legislation targets CO2 and air pollutant reductions specifically in the public transport and municipal services sectors. Schleswig-Holstein is among the German states that have publicly reported their compliance figures at the close of the first reference period.