Van Hool has unveiled its 100 percent battery-electric double-deck coach: the TDX25E.
The vehicle provides space for 69 passengers (18 on the lower deck and 51 on the upper deck) and has a range of up to 500 km (about 310 miles), depending on the climatological conditions and the route’s topography. The TDX25E will enter the U.S. market, where it will be used for comfortable employee commutes and/or regular passenger transport.
A year ago, Van Hool shipped its first 100 percent battery-electric coach, the CX45E, to the U.S. Over the past few decades, Van Hool has built more than 1,200 vehicles with an electrical drive system (hydrogen, trolley, battery and hybrid). Both the CX45E and the new TDX25E use electrical components, including a Siemens power train and Proterra batteries.
Filip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool, explains: “American customers reacted very enthusiastically to the driving experiences with our first battery-electric coach, the CX45E. This prompted us to quickly set to work on developing a battery-electric double-deck, which has a higher passenger capacity. Our experience with electrical drive systems in the past, and recently with the CX45E, really helped us with the rapid development and comprehensive testing of the newest Van Hool double-deck, the TDX25E.
“The partnership between Van Hool and its distributor on the North American market, ABC Bus Companies, Inc., began 34 years ago. After all these years of hard work, together we have managed to put Van Hool on the map in North America. Today, there are more than 11,000 Van Hool coaches and buses on North American roads serving many customers, including a number of large Silicon Valley companies who organize shuttles for their employees. Due to demand from several customers for fully electrically driven vehicles, we at Van Hool looked for a solution,” concluded Filip Van Hool.
