HUBER+SUHNER and Van Hool: Keeping cities moving


Written by 

Marc Moser

Vice President Market Manager Automotive

With almost 70 years of experience in the field, Belgian bus, coach and commercial vehicle manufacturer Van Hool has consistently delivered reliable, customized, leading edge public transport solutions. Such a reputation for quality means that it must select its partners and suppliers carefully to ensure that the best possible result is achieved and the highest standards maintained.


HUBER+SUHNER is one such partner. Through its distributor Eltec, the leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions has been supplying Van Hool for a number of years, providing wires and screened high voltage battery cables  for state-of-the-art public transport vehicles across the world.


QUALITY AND FLEXIBILITY


“The HUBER+SUHNER RADOX® range of automotive cables and wiring provides us with the high quality we expect of our suppliers, as well as the flexibility and versatility required for our wide array of vehicles,” explained Peter Biesmans, Development Engineer in the Electrical Department at Van Hool. “From a classical diesel hybrid bus, to fuel cell hybrids and our Full Electric Exqui.City Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the RADOX range has addressed our needs completely.”


RADOX cables and complete cable systems for the automotive industry guarantee safe and durable connections in demanding environments such as inside engine compartments. RADOX is an electron-beam cross-linked insulation material that offers exceptionally high resistance against thermal, chemical, electrical and mechanical loads.


Extensive experience in the design and construction of complete cable systems also makes HUBER+SUHNER a professional partner in the development and manufacture of dedicated cable harnesses and demanding cable systems for diesel, petrol, electric and hybrid vehicles. The company offers turnkey connectivity solutions from the planning stage through to the customer-specific design, as well as the global production of small, pilot and high-volume series, while global production sites offer ultimate convenience.


IN ACTION WORLDWIDE


Van Hool’s extensive range of public transport vehicles – featuring HUBER+SUHNER’s RADOX technology – is currently in use in some of the world’s most iconic cities. In the autumn of 2012, Van Hool signed a contract with Nobina, the largest people carrier in Scandinavia, for the delivery of 15 hybrid Exqui.City vehicles, which are now in use in Malmö and the Skane region in Sweden for public transport purposes. Van Hool was the first manufacturer to sign a contract in Scandinavia for this tram/bus hybrid, all of which contain HUBER+SUHNER RADOX technology.

 

Van Hool A330 fuel cell busRADOX screen battery cables

Van Hool A330 fuel cell bus running in Aberdeen, Scotland      

HUBER+SUHNER RADOX screened battery cables.


These Exqui.City vehicles also feature in bustling European metropolises like Barcelona, Spain; Bergen, Norway; and Metz, France, as well as remote islands like Martinique in the French Antilles. Elsewhere, Van Hool’s diesel hybrid buses can be found in Monaco and Quebec, Canada; fuel cell hybrid buses are in use in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and Cologne, Germany; and full electric vehicles are servicing the public in Hamburg, Germany and De Lijn, Belgium. All of these models feature HUBER+SUHNER cabling and wires.


“We at Van Hool pride ourselves on being able to meet the most stringent requirements and standards. Through Eltec, we have been introduced to HUBER+SUHNER technology that allows us to be more confident than ever that our innovations will continue to meet the needs of our customers,” said Biesmans.