Largest fleet of electric artics in Germany

German city turns again to Dutch manufacturer for more fully electric articulated buses

Stadtwerke Osnabrück is developing its pioneering role in the field of electromobility. With 13 Citea SLFA-181 artics, Osnabrück already has the largest electric fleet in Germany. Now it’s being expanded with another 49 identical buses from VDL Bus & Coach, which are expected to be delivered in 2021.

“Pioneers like Stadtwerke Osnabrück are always needed to put new developments in practice,” said Boris Höltermann, Director of VDL Bus and Coach Duitsland. “We are proud of the cooperation, which also shows that our concept is convincing.”

“We are confident the new buses will be as good as the first 13,” said Dr Stephan Rolfes, Director of Mobility at Stadtwerke Osnabrück. “The 100-day balance sheet, following the initial start of operation in March 2019, is very positive. Of course, there are always details that can be improved, but VDL Bus & Coach’s electric buses take our public transport to the next level. Not only are we satisfied, we are also receiving very positive feedback from residents and passengers.”

VDL Bus & Coach plays an important role in the project management for the implementation of the electric bus fleet. Based on the experience gained with the first 13 buses, it is working closely with Stadtwerke Osnabrück and Schaltbau to come up with ready-made solutions. “In this type of complex project, good rapport among all parties is a basic requirement,” said Boris. “With over 30m kms travelled and more than 400 electric buses spread throughout much of Europe, we naturally take our responsibility as a transition partner.”

The 49 buses will travel 14,000km per day, operating around the clock. Maximum utilisation of the vehicles will be possible thanks to the optimised rapid charging concept. The batteries have an energy capacity of 216kWh and can be charged at a rate of up to 320kW.

Since the end of last year, Osnabrück’s route 1, between Haste and Düstrup, has been operating on a fully electric basis. Routes 2 to 5 will follow, as soon as the latest articulated electric VDL buses are put into service. For the municipality of Osnabrück, the complete electrification of its local transport is an important part of the ‘Mobile Future’ project, a joint undertaking of the city of Osnabrück and its municipal utilities. This includes sustainable mobility concepts, promotion of environmentally friendly local mobility, furtherance of e-mobility, encouragement of bicycle use and advancement of public transport.