Van Hool builds battery electric double-deck coach
Van Hool is the first manufacturer in the world to build a 100% 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, depending on the climatological conditions and the route’s topography. The TDX25E is destined for the US market, where it will be used for comfortable employee commutes and/or regular passenger transport.
Last year, Van Hool shipped its first battery electric coach, the CX45E, to the US. It has sold 22 of these. Both the CX45E and the brand new TDX25E use electrical components, including a Siemens power train and Proterra batteries.
“We’ve been producing double-deck coaches since 1982″ – Filip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool
Filip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool, said: “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.
“We’ve been producing double-deck coaches since 1982. Twenty-five years later – in 2007 – we shipped the first double-decks to the US. And now, 15 years later, we are launching the first 100% battery electric double-deck coach on the US market. This is a second home market for Van Hool, nowhere else in the world is the demand for our double-deck coaches higher than in the USA.
“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 organise shuttles for their employees. Due to demand from several customers for fully electrically driven vehicles, we at Van Hool looked for a solution.”