World premiere: the VDL Citea Electric

During the 60th UITP Mobility & City Transport Exhibition being held in Geneva from 27 to 30 May 2013, VDL Bus & Coach, Global Passenger Network’s Strategic Alliance Partner, will present, for the first time, the Citea Electric, a bus that is ready for the future and the needs of the market. This 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 not just another electric bus; it offers operators a unique range of possibilities for optimal configuration to match any operational requirements and wishes.

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 and comfort. 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.

VDL Citea Electric

When selecting options for the Citea Electric, one can choose from various electric drive systems. The variant with a large battery charged via a plug-in connection is most suitable for use over longer distances without interim recharging. This does, however, limit the number of passengers. If the operator opts for a more flexible concept, without consequences for the number of passengers and which is recharged periodically during operation, there are more possibilities. In this case a relatively small battery can be combined with various quick-charging methods, such as induction,
trolley or plug-in. For optimum operation the ‘range extender’ can be added, which makes it possible to cover distances of more than 200 km on a single charge. Adding a range extender has no consequences for the number of passengers or the comfort. A big advantage is that investment in infrastructure is kept to a minimum. As energy storage medium, choices include fuel cell, battery or diesel generator.

In short, the VDL Citea Electric offers a range of possibilities, solutions and modules that meet the
operational requirements for each local situation.

The Citea Electric, which will be introduced during the UITP in Geneva, is equipped with wheel hub motors. These motors are located in the rear wheels of the Citea. A battery pack is installed as energy storage medium. This bus will be on display at the VDL Bus & Coach stand (booth number 4C400). In the outdoor area there will also be the opportunity to take a test drive.

See more at https://gpn.travel/en/partners