Fleet electric buses in Cologne expanded to 113 electric Citeas

"This new order from VDL Bus & Coach underlines the decisiveness of KVB Cologne, already one of the frontrunners in Germany in the field of electric mobility," says Boris Höltermann, Managing Director of VDL Bus & Coach Deutschland. We are proud of this renewed trust. It allows us to continue our cooperation in the field of e-buses, which we started in 2012. It also shows that we are take the lead when it comes to the electrification of public transport in Germany."

Largest battery pack

VDL Bus & Coach will supply 51 articulated Citeas with its largest battery pack for the first time: 525 kWh. The entire energy requirement of the Citeas SLFA-181, including the climate control system, is covered by the battery. This makes the buses 100% emission-free. The BRT design gives the Citeas an innovative character, with which the vehicles contribute to a modern city image. The Citeas SLFA-181 are charged overnight via a pantograph on the roof at the depot and, due many miles to be covered, including on the road during schedules at charging stations.

100 million electric kilometres

The cities of Cologne, Münster, Osnabrück, Oberhausen-Bottrop, Leipzig and Kiel in Germany make a daily contribution to the principle of VDL Bus & Coach: 'Aiming for Zero'. This involves more than 100 vehicles in Germany, with a combined experience of more than 4 million electric kilometres in public transport. In the coming years the cities/municipalities of Plön, Völklingen, Neuss, Braunschweig, Verden and Goslar will also be added to this list.

VDL has been active in the field of electric transport for over 25 years. Since the introduction of the first Citea SLF-120 Electric in Geneva, during the UITP Mobility & City Transport exhibition in 2013, VDL Bus & Coach has focused strongly on electric mobility. With more than 800 buses in 10 countries and more than 135,000 kilometres travelled daily in many European cities and regions, the magic number of 100 million kilometres of electric mobility in public transport has been reached.

New generation VDL Citea

In 2021 VDL Bus & Coach will present the new generation of electric Citeas. Based on the VDL vision, a bus concept has been developed, entirely based on an electric drive train, that is ready for the future and where zero emission is a given. More details abouth the new generation electric city buses follow later this spring.