Finnish VDL Citea Electric to be delivered to Veolia Transport Finland as part of Finnish eBUS project

Valkenswaard, 11-4-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — In late May 2014, the first Finnish VDL Citea Electric will be delivered to Veolia Transport Finland. This Citea Electric will participate in the Finnish eBUS project – a multi-year plan launched by the Finnish government focused on research into electric vehicle systems. The Citea Electric will be included in the service roster of Espoo, a city that is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, for a two-year period.

eBus project As part of the Finnish ECV (Electric Commercial Vehicle) project, eBUS serves as a world-class test environment for electric buses in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, with Espoo as the hub around which all the activities revolve. The climate can be cold, hot and humid, with temperatures between -30 degrees Celsius and +30 degrees Celsius. The influences of this challenging environment on the performance of the Citea Electric will be tested extensively by the VTT (Finnish National Research Institute). Moreover, the VTT will pay special attention to measuring the power consumption of the Citea Electric under different circumstances.

Collaboration Veolia Transport Finland and VDL Bus & Coach
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. This high-quality service for passengers is one of Veolia’s spearheads. VDL Bus & Coach has previously sold 48 Citeas to Veolia Transport Finland. “We are delighted to be adding an extra dimension to our partnership with Veolia Transport Finland by participating in this unique project for electric buses. We are particularly proud that our Citea Electric is being given the opportunity to prove itself in Finland,” says Rémi Henkemans, director of VDL Bus & Coach bv.

Market-oriented solution
The greatest challenge in the development of the VDL Citea Electric lay in finding solutions to fulfil the requirements, needs and wishes of the European market. It was up to the VDL Bus & Coach engineers to combine available technologies to obtain cost-effective operational systems – systems suitable for each specific type of deployment, city and local situation – ultimately resulting in electric zero-emission buses able to fully meet the demands of regular scheduled service. The modular system from which the Citea range is built also played a large role in the development of this electric variant. This approach allowed the electric elements to be integrated without compromising the essential Citea features, such as lightweight construction, optimized accessibility andcomfort. The Citea Electric for Veolia Transport in Finland is equipped with Ziehl-Abegg wheel hub motors. These motors are located in the rear wheels of the Citea. A Valence battery pack is installed as energy storage medium.

Attracting People
One of the VDL Bus & Coach brand values is ‘Attracting People’. The zero emission Citea Electric provides an optimal contribution to clean and environmentally friendly public transport. An aspect that is both beneficial to comfort and an additional win for the environment is the fact that the VDL Citea Electric is very quiet. This holds true both inside and outside the bus.

Veolia Transport Finland
Veolia Transport Finland is one of Finland’s largest public transport companies and offers sophisticated and sustainable transport and mobility solutions for cities, towns, local authorities and the private sector. The company operates in the Finnish capital Helsinki and in the west of Finland. Veolia Transport Finland is part of Transdev, one of the world’s leading public transportation companies. Transdev advises and assists localauthorities, from pre-project to daily operations of public transit systems to project management. With 94,000 employees in 20 countries, the company operates 48,000 vehicles and 23 light rail networks. In 2012 the revenues amounted to 7.9 billion euros. Transdev is a subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts and Veolia Environnement.

VDL Bus & Coach bv
Marleen van Zeeland
Communications
+31 (0)40 208 44 14
m.van.zeeland@vdlbuscoach.com

VDL Bus & Coach bv
Alex de Jong
Manager Public Transport
+31 (0)40 208 44 00
a.de.jong@vdlbuscoach.com

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