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For a few years now, VDL Groep has been involved in the development and production of electric transport. Dries Rosseel works in the department 'Electro High Voltage' at VDL Bus Roeselare and is one of the employees within the group who ensures that the hybrid and electric buses roll out of the factory on the road.
How did you end up in this department?
“When I started at VDL Bus Roeselare as an interim in 2010, this department did not yet exist. I started in the 24-volt electrical department, also called low voltage electro. This department takes care of connecting all components that need low voltage to function, such as lighting, opening and closing doors, ventilation, etc. In mid-2013, the high-voltage electro department was created to build the hybrid buses. Given my expressed desire for an additional challenge in my work, I was asked if I wanted to work in this department. It is precisely the unknown and working on new innovative projects that I find very interesting.”
Was it a big transition?
“It was indeed quite a big transition. After all, you start working with high voltage and that brings with it new technical knowledge. To be allowed to work in this department, I took a safety training course. This training was tailor-made for VDL Bus Roeselare and is a collaboration between our internal prevention department, various technical departments and an external knowledge and training center. In the field of electro, I go through a training program at 4 different levels. As there are continuous updates within each level, the program is constantly being expanded.
And how is it going now?
“It is and will remain a continuous improvement process. After the delivery of the (hybrid) buses, we stay in contact with the customer together with our after sales colleagues. If a problem arises, we regularly visit the depots to see what is going on and how we can solve it. You take these issues into the process so that it doesn't happen again next time. For example, we have now made a change to all the emergency stops because they kept giving a signal that caused the bus to stop driving.”
Where are batteries actually placed in the bus?
“That of course depends on the customer's demand. We have made series where the batteries are placed at the rear of the bus, but for the order of 43 VDL Citea SLFA, we placed the batteries (9 of them) on the roof. These batteries are connected together and eventually connected to the inverters. But before that happens, we first measure everything carefully to make sure that all the insulation values are correct to see if it is safe to connect the bus to the high voltage. It is always exciting when the time comes to start the bus. It gives me a kick every time the bus rolls out of the factory working properly.”