In the Dutch city of Maastricht a pilot with a VDL Citea Electric begins 13 March 2015 on line 4 (Villapark, Maastricht to Academic Hospital Maastricht).
This pilot is part of the Zero Emission Bus transport (ZEB) foundation’s nationwide initiative to accelerate the transition to affordable, clean, quiet public transport. Participants in this project are the Province of Limburg, the Municipality of Maastricht, transport operator Veolia Transport Limburg and the Zero Emission Bus transport foundation. The test is intended as a prelude to a conversion of all existing diesel and natural gas buses to electric powered buses.
“The advantages of electric powered buses are clear,” says Province of Limburg Executive Committee member Patrick van der Broeck, whose dossier includes public transport. “The local emission of harmful substances is zero, no fossil fuels are used and the buses produce almost no noise – benefits which are certainly of great importance in the city centre.”
Field test
Maastricht is one of the first Dutch cities in which an extensive field test with a fully electric 12-metre bus is being conducted as part of the regular scheduled service. Veolia has previously run brief tests with electric buses from various suppliers in Maastricht, but in this case it is a long-term trial lasting at least half a year. This bus will therefore also serve as a precursor to the definitive introduction of electric
buses in Limburg.
The pilot in Maastricht is primarily meant to provide practical experience with the use of electric buses.
To finance the project a successful application was made to the Elena fund, managed by the European Investment Bank. An electrically powered bus is currently about twice as expensive as a bus with a diesel engine.
New infrastructure for charging power
The VDL Citea Electric is the first bus in the Netherlands that will be charged using the standardized Combined Charging System protocol. This charging procedure was developed by the German and American passenger car industries and is now also being used for heavy duty buses. A big advantage is that, thanks to a standardized infrastructure, various parties will be able to use the same charging system, making operation more economically attractive. This method is of great importance to scaling- up the use of electric vehicles.
Switchover
With proven success, ever more zero-emission buses are being used. ZEB is committed to a switchover by 2025 of all 5,100 diesel and natural gas buses in the Netherlands to buses with electric motors. The biggest bottlenecks at the moment are the cost and weight of the battery. But the battery is expected to become lighter and cheaper in the coming years. The electric bus made its debut in Maastricht on 13 March. Province of Limburg Executive Council Member Patrick van der Broeck, Municipality of Maastricht Municipal Executive Member Gerdo van Grootheest, Concession Director for Veolia Transport Limburg Ben Dwars and Marijke van Haaren of the Zero Emission Bus transport foundation were joined by pupils from the Binnenstad primary school aboard the bus for the first journey, destined for Maastricht Markt. The bus will be deployed on line 4 which runs between Academic Hospital Maastricht and Villapark, Maastricht.
VDL Citea Electric The VDL Citea Electric is a fully electric Citea SLF Low Floor with a length of 12 metres. The ability to choose from various electric drives and battery packages ensures that the most ideal and optimal combination can be selected for every deployment area, without consequences for accessibility, interior layout or comfort. The Citea Electric is unique in that it can be adapted to provide the optimum configuration for any operator based on their complete package of operational requirements and wishes.
VDL Bus & Coach
The core activities of VDL Bus & Coach consist of the development, manufacturing, sales and after- sales of a wide range of buses, coaches and chassis modules and the purchase and sales of second- hand buses. Manufacturing takes place in the Netherlands and Belgium. VDL Bus & Coach places high value on quality, safety, durability, the environment, low fuel consumption, comfort and low maintenance costs. Sales of VDL Bus & Coach products take place through a worldwide network consisting of corporate-owned sales offices, importers and agents in more than 30 countries. This makes it possible to offer custom-made transport solutions. For after-sales and maintenance, the client can count on rapid, hassle-free assistance from VDL Bus & Coach employees in any of the many service locations. An extensive distribution network ensures that spare parts and accessories are delivered to the requested destination as quickly as possible. VDL Bus & Coach is one of the largest bus producers in Europe.
