KVB Cologne bus line 150 has been using electric buses since mid-January 2022 The five 12-metre long VDL e-buses are “Citea SLF-120/electric” numbered 591 to 595. They were already delivered to KVB Köln last summer. The type designation: SLF = Standard Low Floor, 120 = length in decimetres.
The two-door e-buses (doors in the front and in the middle) have a completely flat floor – a typical strength of the electric bus, because the electric motor requires much less space than a diesel engine. The batteries are not only charged overnight in “carports” at depot Nord, but via roof pantographs during the day. The corresponding charging station is located at Mülheim railway station.
Line 150 starts at Corintostraße in the Kalk Technology Park in front of the “Odysseum Adventure Museum”. From here it travels via Messe/Deutz station, Deutz-Mülheimer Straße, Wiener Platz and “Schanzenstraße/Schauspielhaus” to Mülheim station. It has 16 stops along the way. It takes 35 minutes from terminus to terminus in one direction and 36 minutes in the opposite direction.
From Monday to Friday it runs every 20 minutes until about 8.15 pm, then every 30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. During the 20-minute interval it needs five buses in service, during the 30-minute interval just three. This means that on Mondays to Fridays during the day, all five of the available electric trolleybuses are needed for line 150.
Technical data of the VDL Citea SLF-120/electric
- Length: 12,000 mm
- Width: 2,550 mm
- Height: 3,290 mm
- Interior height: 2,416 mm
- Passenger capacity: 72
- Wheelbase: 5,850 mm
- Turning circle: 21,176 mm
- Gross vehicle weight: 18,745 kg
Note: Compared to the first electric buses ten years ago, the batteries are now much lighter.
