On Friday 30 January 2015, BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) presented the VDL Citea LLE as new public transport bus for the city of Berlin. Following a two-year test phase, BVG placed an order for 236 Citeas LLE with VDL Bus & Coach in the summer of 2014. The first 40 Citeas from this order will be put in service starting in early February 2015, principally in south-west Berlin. “The new VDL buses are an excellent addition to our fleet. We modernize our fleet not only to acquire state-of-the-art technology, but also to make public transport more environmentally friendly. We are investing € 60.8 million in the VDL buses so we can continue to convey the residents of Berlin reliably and comfortably in the future,” said Dr Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta, chairman of the board at BVG and director of operations.

VDL Citea LLE: innovative lightweight concept

For the VDL buses with a lightweight construction the focus is on achieving better fuel economy and the resulting emissions reductions. Naturally the buses also continue to meet the highest safety standards. The Citea LLE has a net weight of approximately 9 tonnes, and according to BVG’s own tests consumes 20% less diesel fuel than comparable products, which equates to a reduction of around 18 tonnes of harmful substance emissions per year, per vehicle.

The combination VDL Citea LLE Euro 6 and a consumption reduction of 20% also cuts NOx emissions by 95%. With this level of performance, the Citea meets requirements normally placed on vehicles with hybrid technology, without the additional expense related to that technology or the associated costs for workshops and infrastructure. This represents a major step for BVG towards achieving their corporate objective of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% in the period from 2010 to 2020. The company also supports the plans of the city government of Berlin to make the city climate-neutral by 2050.