Van Hool has been contracted by Qbuzz to supply 112 battery-electric buses for use in the South Holland North (ZHN) concession in the Netherlands.
The order consists of 56 A13LE E buses, which are 13 metres long and have 45 + 3 seats, and 56 A15LE E buses, which are 15 metres long and have 51 + 5 seats.
These vehicles are scheduled to enter service from 15 December 2024.
This contract marks the largest order to date for Van Hool A electric city buses. It comes less than a year after Qbuzz’s earlier order of 54 units. In total, Van Hool will thus build 166 electric buses for the Dutch transport operator.
Van Hool’s new A range of buses was initially unveiled in June 2022. It has now sold 400 units, 72% of which are with an electric drive, while 16.5% have a hydrogen fuel cell drive and 11.5% are equipped with a trolley drive.
For Qbuzz, the vehicles will have a 310kW motor and will be equipped with batteries with a capacity of 578kWh. This will provide sufficient energy for reliable service in cold weather.
The new buses will have level entries and exits and at least five accessible step-free places onboard. They will also be equipped with a direct voice connection between the driver and the wheelchair spot.
In addition, the vehicles will feature a sound system (AVAS), so that pedestrians can hear a slow-moving electric bus approaching.
