The Düsseldorf Rheinbahn is ordering 20 battery-electric buses from the Dutch producer VDL, together with 15 articulated and 5 solo buses. Supply of the primary automobiles is scheduled for mid-2024. The variety of electrical buses at Rheinbahn will increase to 30 with the brand new order.
The 20 new VDL buses are anticipated to function from the depot in Heerdt on strains 729, 834, 835, 836 and SB51. The transport firm doesn’t disclose the precise variants of the Citea mannequin. The one indication: in accordance with Rheinbahn, the articulated buses have a minimal vary of 245 kilometres and 48 seats, and the solo buses have a minimal vary of 252 kilometres and 34 seats.
In future, they are going to be loaded on the depot in Heerdt, the place the development of a brand new bus port is about to begin. The goal is to create the required charging and parking infrastructure for a complete of 60 battery-electric buses, they are saying. With the brand new order from VDL, Rheinbahn is now rising its variety of BEV buses to a complete of 30.
Rheinbahn had already put the primary ten into service in 2020. 4 months later, nonetheless, eight of them have been destroyed in a fireplace on the bus depot in Heerdt. The Rheinbahn then instantly ordered new ones. The supply of the Irizar ie bus solo buses is at the moment underway. On the identical time, Düsseldorf is at the moment taking supply of ten hydrogen buses – the primary of that are already in take a look at operation. The Europe-wide tender for ten extra hydrogen buses is at the moment underway.
Whereas Rheinbahn, as Düsseldorf’s public transport operator, will procure and use the H2 automobiles, Stadtwerke, because the power provider, will take over the manufacturing of the hydrogen. Based on an earlier announcement, the corporate is investing in an electrolyser with a capability of 1 megawatt so as to have the ability to produce inexperienced hydrogen on-site sooner or later. Nevertheless, this may solely be doable from 2026 – when the electrolyser shall be powered by electrical energy from the native waste incineration plant.
rheinbahn.de (in German)