NETHERLANDS
Van Hool has signed a contract with operator Qbuzz for the supply of 112 battery-electric A13LE E and A15LE E buses, made up of 56 45-seat 13m A13LE 56 51-seat 15m A15LE examples. The buses will be used by Qbuzz on its services run under the South Holland North (ZHN) concession in the Netherlands from 15 December. The order, the largest yet for the Van Hool A-series city bus, comes less than a year after an earlier order of 54 by the operator, and will be used on high-quality routes.
The buses are powered by a 310kW motor, supplied by 578kWh LFP type batteries. In cold weather, the buses are automatically preheated prior to the first journey. The bus has a sound system (AVAS), so that bystanders can hear a slow-moving and otherwise silent electric bus approaching.
The extra-long vehicles have upgraded seats with individually switchable seat heating, extra legroom so a laptop can be fully opened on the large, extendible folding tables with cup holder. The headrests have mobile phone holders with induction chargers, and USB connections are also fitted, as is free WiFi.
The driver benefits from a swiveling and automatically adjustable seat with two armrests and a three-point seatbelt, as well as a climate package for cooling and heating the seat. Cameras with wide-angle lenses replace exterior mirrors, and a driver assistance system (ADAS) with acoustic and visual signals supports the driver. The buses have a laminated and green-tinted windscreen with heating and an electrically adjustable opaque, wide sun blind, and the interior lighting is switched in four separate zones to prevent reflection in the windscreen.
Van Hool says it has now exceeded 400 new ‘A’ models sold since the launch of the range in Paris in June 2022.
