The Exqui City Tram-Bus Hybrid
Van Hool is a manufacturer of buses, coaches and industrial vehicles based in Belgium and was established in 1947. With over 4000 employees the company is a well-established industry leader and services the wider markets of Europe and America.
The Exqui.City is a 24 meter biogas-electric hybrid ‘Tram-bus’ manufactured by Van Hool that will be servicing the streets of Malmö in Sweden. The Exqui.City hybrid is designed to provide tram like energy efficiency whilst retaining a lot of the traditional flexibility of a bus or coach. Using an electric engine the Exqui.City’s power is generated by a Euro6 biogas engine generator, making it exceptionally economical and environmentally friendly.
The Exqui.City boasts a great level of comfort and accessibility with air conditioning, low noise levels, a low entry step, wide double sliding doors and a hearing loop. The hearing loop provides equal auditory access to important public address information for the passengers with hearing loss.
There is an ever-growing requirement for Assistive Listening Devices on-board public transport for public address announcements, service broadcasts and emergency announcements. The charitable organisation Action On Hearing Loss in their report Transport for All says that “48% of service users feel that there is not enough information available on buses to help people with hearing loss to get about”. Ampetronic helped to provide a ‘turn-key-solution’ that first tested the feasibility of the systems within the bus using a single XA-88 amplifier. Our engineers also helped to provide design and installation consultancy, providing maximum area coverage for the large 24 meter bus in a high metal environment with just one XA-88 amplifier. We also provided onsite testing of the system after installation, ensuring that the system provides a genuine benefit to hearing aid users.
Van Hool have created a unique hybrid system that paves the way for a safe, cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and accessible form of public transport, we are very proud to be a part of that. Future places that may include these futuristic and economical tram-bus hybrids include Martinique, Metz, Barcelona, Parma, Genève, Luxemburg and Bergen.
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