The first 24 metre electric bus from the Van Hool - Kiepe Electric - Alstom consortium has been on road test

The Tzen 4 electric double-jointed bus is not only very long, but also features innovative ground charging that can be installed at stops along the route or at the depot.

The Tzen 4 is designed and built by a consortium of Van Hool, Kiepe Electric and Alstom for Île-de-France Mobilités, which intends to order double-jointed electric buses for the Ile-de-France region.

Van Hool is responsible for the assembly of the electric bus body. Kiepe Electric is responsible for the battery system. Alstom is responsible for the SRS ground charging system. This system operates automatically at very high power and, according to Alstom, does its job "in just a few minutes". Charging can take place either at the bus route stop during operation or at the depot.

The new charging solution is a further development of the charging system for trams. Alstrom describes the advantage of SRS as the fact that no above-ground infrastructure is required and that the system is modular and compatible with all types of electric buses.

"For more than 20 years, Alstom has been developing and deploying static and dynamic ground charging solutions without a catenary," said Jean-Baptiste Aimeud, president of Alstom France. "Today, I am thrilled with this world premiere: the first production of the Tzen 4 bus, 100% electric, double-jointed and recharged on the ground thanks to our proven and innovative SRS system."

Unfortunately, in the case of the Tzen 4 prototype, Alstom does not specify the capacity of the SRS charging system. In 2019, it was talking about 200 kW for the 12-metre prototype unveiled in Malaga, Spain.

Public transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités has contracted a consortium of Van Hool, Kiepe Electric and Alstom to build a fleet of electric double-jointed buses with a static SRS charging system in 2021. The extended buses will be used on two new bus rapid transit (BRT) lines between Viry-Châtillon and Corbeil-Essonne, and between Paris and Choisy-le-Roi. An additional framework agreement from 2022 allows for the purchase of at least 56 units of these buses.

The 24-metre double-joint buses combine the advantages of a tram and a bus. The vehicles can accommodate up to 140 passengers, run on electric traction without a catenary and make less noise than a tram.

Source: Alstom