SWEDEN
Van Hool has signed a contract with Scandinavian operator Nobina to supply 21 battery-electric 24-metre articulated Exqui.City trambuses. The battery-electric vehicles will go into service mid-2022 in Malmö.
Filip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool, said: “This order confirms the confidence that Nobina has in Van Hool. This is a new and important reference for Van Hool and it represents the undeniable proof of the company’s technological power. Van Hool is fully committed to its 100% zero emission bus and coach range. We are convinced that the various 100% zero emission solutions we offer – battery-electric, trolley and hydrogen – can, depending on the local application, provide an answer to the environmental and sustainability initiatives that public transport companies worldwide are undertaking. As an independent Belgian manufacturer of buses and coaches, with customers all over the world, we have delivered no fewer than 1,200 electrically powered vehicles. Van Hool’s strength lies in the fact that we have gained a lot of experience in various complex types of electrically powered vehicles, including 100% battery electric vehicles, and the charging infrastructure that goes with it.”
“We feel pride in continuing this journey together with Skånetrafiken and Van Hool, introducing the next generation of 24-metre, fully electric zero emission tram buses – the first of its kind in the Nordics. Further developing the modern, safe and sustainable public traffic solution in Malmö,” said Jens Råsten, Fleet Manager at the Nobina Group.
Van Hool says that its Exqui.City ‘combines the flexibility of a bus with the efficiency of a tram,’ and offers a distinct futuristic design with a high level of comfort. The buses feature air conditioning, low noise levels and soft lighting, and will be equipped with four double doors.
The Exqui.City is built on a multi-power platform that is 100% zero emission, and offered in battery-electric, trolley and hydrogen formats in both 18 and 24-metre versions. According to Van Hool, there are already more than 300 similar trambuses operating in 17 cities, primarily in Europe but also in the French overseas department of Martinique.
