Controversial e-buses head to Floading for conversion

After the controversial purchase of 246 electric buses from China’s BYD for 900 million euros, the first six have been delivered to Hengelo to be adapted for use in the Netherlands. Of the massive order of e-buses, which was commissioned by the provinces of Overijssel, Flevoland and Gelderland, nearly half (130) will be making the trip to the Eaton site in Hengelo where the Amersfoort-based electric charging infrastructure company Floading will provide an on-site charging solution and the buses will be converted to be Dutch road worthy.

Conversion will take several days for each 12-meter-long bus. The process includes a thorough check, cleaning and repair, if necessary. The air-conditioning systems will be filled, software updates will be installed and the charging infrastructure will be tested. The buses will then be fitted with the correct livery and license plates, along with Dutch public transportation equipment.

Floading investor, Koolen Industries currently rents the Eaton site for its subsidiary Smart Grid, which is where the company makes its energy storage systems and develops and produces its energy storage containers. Because Floading’s technical engineers work closely together with other companies in the Koolen group, the Eaton location in Hengelo was determined to be the logical choice. “Enabling cooperation between specialist companies in the clean-energy field will speed up the transition to clean energy, while also offering unique opportunities for the Twente region,” says Kees Koolen, CEO of Koolen Industries.