VDL Bus & Coach receives another order from KVG

VDL Bus & Coach is to supply 30 electric articulated new generation Citea LF-181 buses and 20 electric new generation Citea LF-122 buses.

Eindhoven, Netherland- VDL Bus & Coach., and KVG Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH., have reached an agreement for yet another order of 50 new generation Citeas with an option for 10 additional units. The vehicles, based entirely on an electric powertrain, will be delivered in 2024 and 2025. With this order, KVG will exceed 100 units of the VDL Bus & Coach brand in its fleet. 

Twenty electric Citea LF-122 buses and thirty electric articulated Citea LF-181 buses will be provided by VDL Bus & Coach. The battery packs in the Vehicles will have capacities of 429 kWh (LF-122) and 522 kWh (LF-181), respectively. Also included in the new generation Citeas for KVG are a pantograph and a mirror replacement technology that uses cameras in place of mirrors.

Mr. Thomas Mau, Head of Operations and Technology / Authorised Officer at KVG Kiel, said that, With our partner VDL, we are excited to move forward with the modernization of our bus fleet. After we receive the 50 new city buses, more than half of our fleet will be made up of VDLs and battery-powered electric buses. These automobiles exhibit a high level of technical proficiency and, to the maximum degree feasible, satisfy our requirements. Collaboration has been top rate in every manner and extremely cooperative, both throughout the introduction of this new system and later in the after-sales sector.

Mr. Richard van den Dungen, CCO at VDL Bus & Coach, said that, The fact that KVG has picked VDL Bus & Coach once more for yet another order of electric city buses makes us incredibly proud. When a well-respected client like KVG again puts its faith in you to provide the goods, it is a huge honor. KVG will now have the opportunity to experience the latest generation Citea, which is also well fitted to their operational requirements with its efficient energy usage and great driving characteristics. This follows our previous deliveries of Citeas SLF and SLFA Electric in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

KVG Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH and VDL Bus & Coach signed the official contract for the new electric buses in the presence of Kiel’s mayor on 13 September. From July next year until 2025, 50 new electric buses will be delivered to Kiel. 

About KVG Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH

In 2001, Kieler Verkehrsaktiengesellschaft (KVAG), a business steeped in tradition, was transformed into a limited liability company (GmbH) – KVG Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH. The city of Kiel is a 100 percent shareholder in the owner-operated municipal enterprise of shareholdings as the service provider for local public transport. KVG is a partner in Verkehrsverbund Region Kiel (VRK), which is integrated into the state-wide Schleswig-Holstein(SH) fare system. 38 lines serve 769 bus stops in the city of Kiel every day around the clock and almost 29 million passengers were transported in 2022. This corresponds to more than 11 million bus kilometres on the road in 2022.