Substantial impulse for further greening of Finland's public transport: 25 new generation VDL Citeas

September 21, 2021

The Finnish bus company Pohjolan Liikenne and VDL Bus & Coach are giving an important impulse to the further greening of public transport in Finland. 25 new generation VDL Citeas will be driving in the port city of Kotka. The buses are entirely based on an electric powertrain and feature trendsetting features. They are also used in regional regional transport to neighboring Hamina.

For VDL, this is the first large series of new generation VDL Citeas sold abroad. Earlier it was announced that the Finnish city of Lahti had ordered 1 new VDL Citea city bus. This was followed by the Dutch public transport company Hermes, which will deploy 32 new generation VDL Citeas of the LF-122 type in the Eindhoven region in the first quarter of next year. Production of the new generation of VDL Citeas for Kotka will start at the end of 2022. The buses will be delivered in 2023.

Rapidly moving towards electric transport

With this order, Pohjolan Liikenne is expanding its VDL fleet to almost 200 VDL Citeas. Director Sami Ojamo of VDL Bus & Coach Finland: “The transition to electric and sustainable public transport in Finland is continuing at a rapid pace. Our customer, with whom we have a long and good cooperation, is a great example of this trend. At the beginning of 2019 they ordered the first 5 electric VDL Citeas and now they are opting for our new generation of city buses. As one of the frontrunners in e-mobility in Finland, they underline their ambitions with this new order.”

The 25 new generation of VDL Citeas are used in urban traffic from the port of Kotka and on regional transport to Hamina. VDL Citeas LLE Diesel mainly run on this line. This route will soon be covered by emission-free VDL Citeas of the new generation. These are of the LE-122 type. The 12.2 meter low entry, ideal for both city and regional transport. The buses have a battery pack of 490 kWh and 39+4+1 seats.

Leading

General Manager Heikki Alanko of Pohjolan Liikenne: “Our ambition is to be the leading operator in the transition to zero-emission public transport in Finland. These new advanced VDL buses, with their large range, play an important role in making it possible to operate more efficiently than ever before. We are very enthusiastic about the new generation of VDL Citeas because of a number of core features that we consider very important: the new innovative concept enables us to offer both an improved travel experience for passengers and the best working environment in its class for our drivers.”

New generation VDL Citea

The introduction of the new generation VDL Citea is VDL's answer to the challenges of public transport. Where in recent years 'Aiming for Zero' was the ambition, zero emissions has now become the standard for a liveable city. This requires new technologies and a different way of thinking. VDL's new bus concept Citea provides solutions without compromise.

Batteries in the floor, a one-piece composite sidewall, smart energy management, a sophisticated climate system and an ergonomic driver's environment. With these five important innovations, VDL Bus & Coach is introducing the new generation VDL Citea product range, consisting of 4 length variants and 5 types. The range of the new generation of VDL Citeas has been significantly improved: all vehicles cover a distance of 500 to 600 kilometers during the entire period of use.

The new generation of Citeas is completely based on an electric drivetrain. During the development, a lot of data was used, based on more than 100 million electric kilometers driven, which has provided many fact-based insights. In addition, VDL Bus & Coach has been conducting market research since 2015 to better understand the future of mobility, during which important European stakeholders are interviewed.

Pohjolan Liikenne

Pohjolan Liikenne is one of the largest Finnish bus companies. With a fleet of 500 buses and coaches, local, regional and long-distance transport is mainly provided in southern Finland. The annual turnover is 110 million euros. The workforce consists of 1,200 employees. Pohjolan Liikenne's buses and coaches transport more than 30 million passengers a year over a total of 33 million kilometers. Pohjolan Liikenne is a branch of VR, the Finnish National Railways.

Forse impuls voor verdere vergroening OV Finland 25 nieuwe generatie VDL Citea’s

Substantial impulse for further greening of Finland's public transport: 25 new generation VDL Citeas

September 21, 2021

The Finnish bus company Pohjolan Liikenne and VDL Bus & Coach are giving an important impulse to the further greening of public transport in Finland. 25 new generation VDL Citeas will be driving in the port city of Kotka. The buses are entirely based on an electric powertrain and feature trendsetting features. They are also used in regional regional transport to neighboring Hamina.

For VDL, this is the first large series of new generation VDL Citeas sold abroad. Earlier it was announced that the Finnish city of Lahti had ordered 1 new VDL Citea city bus. This was followed by the Dutch public transport company Hermes, which will deploy 32 new generation VDL Citeas of the LF-122 type in the Eindhoven region in the first quarter of next year. Production of the new generation of VDL Citeas for Kotka will start at the end of 2022. The buses will be delivered in 2023.

Rapidly moving towards electric transport

With this order, Pohjolan Liikenne is expanding its VDL fleet to almost 200 VDL Citeas. Director Sami Ojamo of VDL Bus & Coach Finland: “The transition to electric and sustainable public transport in Finland is continuing at a rapid pace. Our customer, with whom we have a long and good cooperation, is a great example of this trend. At the beginning of 2019 they ordered the first 5 electric VDL Citeas and now they are opting for our new generation of city buses. As one of the frontrunners in e-mobility in Finland, they underline their ambitions with this new order.”

The 25 new generation of VDL Citeas are used in urban traffic from the port of Kotka and on regional transport to Hamina. VDL Citeas LLE Diesel mainly run on this line. This route will soon be covered by emission-free VDL Citeas of the new generation. These are of the LE-122 type. The 12.2 meter low entry, ideal for both city and regional transport. The buses have a battery pack of 490 kWh and 39+4+1 seats.

Leading

General Manager Heikki Alanko of Pohjolan Liikenne: “Our ambition is to be the leading operator in the transition to zero-emission public transport in Finland. These new advanced VDL buses, with their large range, play an important role in making it possible to operate more efficiently than ever before. We are very enthusiastic about the new generation of VDL Citeas because of a number of core features that we consider very important: the new innovative concept enables us to offer both an improved travel experience for passengers and the best working environment in its class for our drivers.”

New generation VDL Citea

The introduction of the new generation VDL Citea is VDL's answer to the challenges of public transport. Where in recent years 'Aiming for Zero' was the ambition, zero emissions has now become the standard for a liveable city. This requires new technologies and a different way of thinking. VDL's new bus concept Citea provides solutions without compromise.

Batteries in the floor, a one-piece composite sidewall, smart energy management, a sophisticated climate system and an ergonomic driver's environment. With these five important innovations, VDL Bus & Coach is introducing the new generation VDL Citea product range, consisting of 4 length variants and 5 types. The range of the new generation of VDL Citeas has been significantly improved: all vehicles cover a distance of 500 to 600 kilometers during the entire period of use.

The new generation of Citeas is completely based on an electric drivetrain. During the development, a lot of data was used, based on more than 100 million electric kilometers driven, which has provided many fact-based insights. In addition, VDL Bus & Coach has been conducting market research since 2015 to better understand the future of mobility, during which important European stakeholders are interviewed.

Pohjolan Liikenne

Pohjolan Liikenne is one of the largest Finnish bus companies. With a fleet of 500 buses and coaches, local, regional and long-distance transport is mainly provided in southern Finland. The annual turnover is 110 million euros. The workforce consists of 1,200 employees. Pohjolan Liikenne's buses and coaches transport more than 30 million passengers a year over a total of 33 million kilometers. Pohjolan Liikenne is a branch of VR, the Finnish National Railways.