North Holland becomes 100% zero-emission bus region
The province of North Holland has launched the first zero-emission bus concession in the Netherlands. It will see operator Transdev replace all buses with combustion engines with electric ones in the Gooi en Vechtstreek region during 2022. The concession will run through 2030.
VDL and Ebusco sign responsible for delivering the electric buses. Specifically, the incoming fleet will comprise 28 buses from VDL and 33 buses from Ebusco (11 VDL Citea LLE-99, 17 VDL Citea Electric LLE-115, 33 Ebusco 3.0). The Ebusco 3.0 features composite materials, making it the lightweight in the bunch. Ebusco claims the 33 per cent weight reduction leading to a range of up to 500 kilometres on one charge.
This also means the bus is designed from the outset for overnight depot charging. Works on corresponding charging infrastructure are underway at four locations in Hilversum and Huizen, says Transdev.
For Ebusco, this is the second major deal with the operator. In late 2019, the Dutch bus maker had received an order over 165 e-buses to be delivered in the Amsterdam region. This was in the course of presenting the third generation of its Ebusco 3.0 model.
For North Holland, Transdev expects that in 2022, the entire fleet should run emission-free. This is only a little later than initially expected as the pandemic had delayed deliveries, the operator added. The company also stressed that the new e-buses would replace all old “green” diesel buses bearing the Connexxion label.
The province of Noord-Holland is responsible for bus transport in Noord-Holland Noord, Haarlem IJmond and the Gooi en Vechtstreek. The concession in the Gooi and Vecht region will run until December 2030. The other two concessions in the province will end in 2027 and 2028. Transdev adds that it has jointly drawn up a transition plan with the Province to make transport more sustainable during the long term.
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