In line with Van Hool, the brand new order from Qbuzz is at the moment the biggest for the town bus, which may solely be ordered purely electrically (BEV, BEV as a trolley and FCEV) and in 4 lengths (12, 13, 18 and 24 meters). Nonetheless, the Dutch firm didn’t disclose the worth of the order.
Qbuzz intends to deploy the 112 new electrical buses on the Zuid-Holland Noord HOV strains (snelBuzz and R-net). Every of the buses is supplied with a 310 kW electrical drive. The mandatory power is equipped by an LFP battery with an power content material of 578 kWh. This is able to be ample for “dependable service and air con”. The producer doesn’t go into any extra element concerning the technical knowledge.
Nonetheless, Van Hool is all of the extra exact on the subject of the gear. To call just some: All autos have stage entry and/or exit and at the least 5 (disabled) seats which can be steplessly accessible. There’s a direct voice reference to the driving force from the wheelchair house. For visually impaired passengers, there are yellow colour contrasts on cease buttons and steps. There may be Braille on the cease buttons for blind passengers. There may be additionally an electrically extendable wheelchair shelf.
In line with the Dutch firm, engaged on the highway ought to turn into even simpler for passengers. Van Hool’s (additional) lengthy autos have luxurious seats with seat heating that may be switched on and off individually. Due to the format of the car, there’s a vast aisle and seats with additional legroom. Laptops may be absolutely folded out on the massive, extendable folding tables with sensible cup holders. Cellphone holders with induction charging choices are positioned on the headrests. USB ports are additionally obtainable. WiFi completes the package deal.
However the driver was additionally saved in thoughts through the design: A swivel and robotically adjustable driver’s seat with two armrests and a three-point seat belt was put in within the new autos for the driving force. The seat can be outfitted with a local weather package deal for cooling and heating. As well as, drivers can management the temperature and airflow of their cab independently of the remainder of the bus.
Final yr, the Dutch public transport operator already had ordered 54 battery-electric buses from the Belgian producer. The buses are as a consequence of be delivered within the fourth quarter of 2024 and shall be used for regional passenger transport within the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. Their deployment is deliberate within the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. Van Hool is due to this fact constructing a complete of 166 e-buses for Qbuzz.
Nonetheless, Qbuzz is just not the one buyer for the Dutch firm’s electrical metropolis bus: since its premiere in June 2022, the 400 fashions of the brand new A-series of metropolis buses for public transport have now been bought. A full 72 per cent of consumers opted for the battery-electric drive (excluding trolley fashions), 16.5 per cent for the H2 and 11.5 per cent for the trolley variant. The orders got here from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and France.
Van Hool is a Belgian producer of metropolis buses, coaches and industrial autos based mostly in Koningshooikt. The corporate was based in 1947. Most of its manufacturing is destined for Europe and North America. Van Hool employs over 3,500 individuals worldwide, most of them on the manufacturing websites in Koningshooikt (Belgium) and Skopje (North Macedonia).
vanhool.com