Quiet and without emission: 11 new trolleybuses delivered to Arnheim/NL by Hess and Vossloh Kiepe

Arnheim, the only Dutch city with trolleybus operation, can continue to breathe easily: Altogether 11 non-emission trolleybuses from the vehicle manufacturer Hess and the electric drive technology specialist Vossloh Kiepe have been delivered to the transport operator Connexxion. Five of these environment-friendly articulated trolleybuses were handed over already in May 2013, the other six followed in June and July.

The new 18 m long buses of the type Swiss Trolley 4 have replaced more than 15 years old vehicles of the transport company. The replacement of the buses will be continued in 2016 and 2017 with the delivery of another 20 Swiss Trolley buses.

The state-of-the-art equipment from Vossloh Kiepe has been adapted to the topographical conditions of the city and ensures a positive environmental balance:

The new vehicles are only driven by one traction motor on the third axle, which has reduced their weight by about 900 kg in comparison to a trolleybus with a double-axle drive. Thus, the payload can be increased at the same axle load.

The electric drive can recuperate the electrical energy generated during braking to the overhead contact line. Due to an optimised drive system with drive controllers preventing slip and slide even more precisely the vehicles can be moved fast and safely despite their single-axle drives. The auxiliary power unit APU with 50 kW fulfils the Euro 5 standard and thus the current requirements according to the emission standard.

To ensure safe and low-cost operation of the vehicles in the long run, Connexxion has concluded a long-term agreement on the maintenance of the vehicles with the manufacturers of the buses, Hess and Vossloh Kiepe. The buses will be maintained under the responsibility of the manufacturers.