Interview

The International School of Brussels awards top marks to Addax for their EUVs (electric utility vehicles)

15 mars 2023

Founded in 1951, the International School of Brussels is located on a large 16 hectare campus in the Boitsfort region of Brussels. The grounds include an outdoor running track, a performing arts centre, two gymnasiums, and 15 hectares (37 acres) of playing fields and woods. With more than 1300 students ranging in ages from 2.5 to 18 years old, and hailing from 70 countries, it is a truly international school – hence the name.

With such extensive grounds on a hilly terrain and young students everywhere, it was perhaps not surprising that the school was keen to equip the school with Addax electric utility vehicles. In actual fact, the school took delivery of the two first production models, #3 and #4 in June 2017. (Numbers #1 and #2 were used for road and crash testing, etc.) We were excited to hear the school’s thoughts and experience of the 2 vehicles, and so we spoke with Danielle Pierce, Facilities Manager at ISB.

“They are still great!”

“With such a large campus – it’s 1 km from top to bottom – we need them,” says Danielle. “Our technical team uses one of them; it carries all our tools and emergency gear. It can go anywhere on campus and can be deployed quickly if ever there is a problem somewhere.” The first Addax vehicle, a closed van with a sliding door on one side, is fitted with custom shelving for equipment. There are also boxes on the closed side for other material. “Our second Addax is used exclusively by our maintenance team. With a caged container at the back, it’s great for all our gardening needs, you know … grass, leaves, branches and the like. There is also plenty of space for the leaf blower!”

“We love how small the footprint of the Addax is but also appreciate just how much they can carry,” continues Danielle. “The 2 vehicles are plugged in and parked under a canopy overnight, and so are ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Just one small issue after 5 years

When asked if there have been any issues, there’s only really been one thing. One of the Addax vehicles – in the summer of 2022 – needed maintenance on its battery pack. In the end, it was simply replaced. “The after sales continues to be fantastic. The maintenance team actually come to the school to service the vehicles, making our life easy.”

To conclude Danielle explains, “The school has always been interested in sustainability and ecology, in fact there are 900 solar panels on our roofs, and all our new buildings are equipped with rain water tanks. Unfortunately, we will be replacing a larger truck used to transport furniture and pallets – larger than the Addax vehicles we have – with a diesel vehicle. We know it’s not ideal for the environment or our students, but it is the most practical choice at the moment.”

When asked whether the school would purchase Addax EUVs again, the answer is clear. “In a heartbeat,” exclaims Danielle. “They are small, quiet and cheap to run. And we enjoy a great relationship with the Addax team.”