According to Van Hool, the new order from Qbuzz is currently the largest for the city bus, which can only be ordered purely electrically (BEV, BEV as a trolley and FCEV) and in four lengths (12, 13, 18 and 24 meters). However, the Dutch company did not disclose the value of the order.
Qbuzz intends to deploy the 112 new electric buses on the Zuid-Holland Noord HOV lines (snelBuzz and R-net). Each of the buses is equipped with a 310 kW electric drive. The necessary energy is supplied by an LFP battery with an energy content of 578 kWh. This would be sufficient for “reliable service and air conditioning”. The manufacturer does not go into any more detail about the technical data.
However, Van Hool is all the more precise when it comes to the equipment. To name just a few: All vehicles have level entry and/or exit and at least five (disabled) seats that are steplessly accessible. There is a direct voice connection with the driver from the wheelchair space. For visually impaired passengers, there are yellow color contrasts on stop buttons and steps. There is Braille on the stop buttons for blind passengers. There is also an electrically extendable wheelchair shelf.
According to the Dutch company, working on the road should become even easier for passengers. Van Hool’s (extra) long vehicles have luxurious seats with seat heating that can be switched on and off individually. Thanks to the layout of the vehicle, there is a wide aisle and seats with extra legroom. Laptops can be fully folded out on the large, extendable folding tables with practical cup holders. Cell phone holders with induction charging options are located on the headrests. USB ports are also available. WiFi completes the package.
But the driver was also kept in mind during the design: A swivel and automatically adjustable driver’s seat with two armrests and a three-point seat belt was installed in the new vehicles for the driver. The seat is also equipped with a climate package for cooling and heating. In addition, drivers can control the temperature and airflow in their cab independently of the rest of the bus.
Last year, the Dutch public transport operator already had ordered 54 battery-electric buses from the Belgian manufacturer. The buses are due to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will be used for regional passenger transport in the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. Their deployment is planned in the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. Van Hool is therefore building a total of 166 e-buses for Qbuzz.
However, Qbuzz is not the only customer for the Dutch company’s electric city bus: since its premiere in June 2022, the 400 models of the new A-series of city buses for public transport have now been sold. A full 72 per cent of customers opted for the battery-electric drive (excluding trolley models), 16.5 per cent for the H2 and 11.5 per cent for the trolley variant. The orders came from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and France.
Van Hool is a Belgian manufacturer of city buses, coaches and industrial vehicles based in Koningshooikt. The company was founded in 1947. Most of its production is destined for Europe and North America. Van Hool employs over 3,500 people worldwide, most of them at the production sites in Koningshooikt (Belgium) and Skopje (North Macedonia).