Three German transport companies have joined forces and will put their trust in 12 Citeas SLF-120 Electric from VDL Bus & Coach from the end of 2021 onwards.
Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft mbH Braunschweig, Verdener Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH and Stadbus Goslar GmbH are thereby underscoring their sustainable ambitions in the area of electric regional public transport.
“We have a very positive view of current developments in Germany,” said Managing Director Boris Höltermann of VDL Bus & Coach Deutschland GmbH. “More and more subsidies are becoming available, which has made the choice of purchasing zero emission buses easier. If transport companies cooperate in a targeted way, their ability to act will naturally be even greater and cities will be able to implement their desired greening programmes faster and more effectively. As a European frontrunner in electric public transport and a sustainable cooperation partner, we can strengthen these projects.”
VDL Bus & Coach will deliver a total of 12 Citeas SLF-120 Electric to three transport companies: Nine Citeas to Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft mbH Braunschweig, two to Verdener Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH and one to Stadtbus Goslar GmbH. The cooperation with KVG Braunschweig and Verdener Verkehrsgesellschaft is not new: they already own several Citea LLE Diesel vehicles.
“The region-wide introduction of electric mobility is a major, forward-looking project for our regions of Verden, Goslar and Braunschweig,” explains Axel Gierga, Managing Director of Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft mbH Braunschweig, on behalf of the cooperating transport companies. “This can only be achieved with strong and experienced partners. That is why we’re looking forward to working with VDL Bus & Coach. They bring with them a wealth of experience. Their expertise is vital for the implementation of this future project. With quiet, clean and emission-free buses in our fleet, we will contribute to achieving the targets of the European Clean Vehicle Directive and to improving the quality of life in our regions.”
The 12 VDL Citeas will be delivered in December of this year. The vehicles will provide the solution for electric public transport on bus routes with high passenger numbers. The Citeas SLF-120 Electric have a CCS charging point and are mainly charged at the depot. The batteries have a capacity of 350 kWh.
The ordered Citeas will be used mainly in urban transport. Verdener Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH will use the electric buses on the routes in Verden (Aller) and at peak times in the district’s towns and villages as far as the neighbouring municipality of Kirchlinteln.
Stadtbus Goslar GmbH will deploy its ordered Citea SLF-120 Electric on all lines of Goslar’s city transport system and thus also operate in the city centre and the pedestrian zone. KVG Braunschweig will also use the nine Citeas for city transport in the transport areas of Salzgitter, Helmstedt and Wolfenbüttel.
On the road to 100 million electric kilometres
The cities of Münster, Cologne, Osnabrück, Oberhausen-Bottrop, Leipzig and Kiel in Germany are already making a daily contribution to the principle of VDL Bus & Coach: ‘Aiming for Zero’. In the coming years, Plön, Völklingen and Neuss will be added to this list, as VDL Bus & Coach announced in December 2020.
Since the first five VDL Citeas SLF-120 Electric arrived in Münster in 2015, more than 100 vehicles in Germany have so far been delivered in fully electric mode, notching up more than four million electric kilometres of experience in public transport.
