Volvo Buses is starting demonstration tests of its Electric Hybrid in Curitiba, Brazil.
The hybrid electric bus will operate on the Juvevê-Agua Verde passenger line, for a period of six months.
“This is one more step taken by Curitiba towards sustainability. We want to increasingly incorporate new technologies and reduce our levels of emissions of pollutants – thinking about solutions that drive benefits for the highest numbers of people and that place the collective interest above the individual”, said Gustavo Fruet, mayor of Curitiba.
With plug-in technology, the hybrid electric allows battery charges to be topped up at passenger boarding and debarkation points. The project is the outcome of a global partnership between Volvo and Siemens, which developed the quick charge stations for the batteries of the electric motor, affording vehicles longer operating periods in electric mode, reducing the use of fossil fuels.
The system reduces up to 75% the consumption of diesel and, consequently, emission of pollutants. In addition, the model’s total energy consumption is 60% lower than those powered by diesel, representing a huge environmental gain for the city.
“This vehicle is one more step we are taking towards consolidating Volvo’s electro-mobility project in Latin America. We have a long track record of partnership with Curitiba, city where the Volvo Group’s headquarters for the continent are located, with a history of demonstration and development of technologies e solutions in transportation that offer higher quality to transport systems at the same time they address global demands and commitments in reduction of emissions”, said Luis Carlos Pimenta, president of Volvo Bus Latin America.
The vehicle offers operational flexibility, and can operate in 100% electric mode in defined areas (when there are no emissions of pollutants or noise), and in hybrid mode anywhere along the route.
The vehicle will circulate in the Juvevê-Agua Verde line that is 11.2 kilometers long and is used by around 2,200 passengers a day. The battery charge station is placed at a bus stop on a square on Menezes Dória street, in the district of Hugo Langue, close to the Agrarian Sciences Sector of the Federal University of Paraná.
The high-power charging station was developed and installed by Siemens.
The hybrid electric is the second generation of low or zero emissions buses developed by Volvo. The battery of the electric motor, in addition to receiving quick charges at stations, is also charged with the energy generated when the vehicle’s brakes are applied, similar to what already happens in the hybrid models already in circulation in Curitiba. The vehicle is the standard type, with capacity for 91 passengers. With a modern design, it offers passengers comfort, wi-fi and accessibility.
Tests
The hybrid electric demonstration tests in Curitiba are the third phase in the development of the Volvo electro-mobility project in Latin America. The first phase was the onset of production and sales of the conventional hybrid in Brazil, and the second is the demonstration of the articulated hybrid currently in operation in Curitiba, too.
The vehicle data will be monitored through telematics, using the Volvo fleet management system. The system provided information such as fuel consumption, emission of pollutants, distance covered in 100% electric mode and use of energy generated by braking in charging the battery for the electric motor. In addition to data relative to number of passengers and safety such as sudden braking and acceleration, and speed in curves.
The vehicle also has a functionality, Zone Management, integrated to the fleet management system, that allows the areas where the vehicle will operate in 100% electric mode, as well as high pedestrian traffic regions where the speed will be capped, to be defined. In these areas, for example, even if drivers accelerate, the vehicle will not exceed the maximum speed setting. URBS has defined for the operation of the electric hybrid bus in Curitiba, that it should operate in 100% electric mode in the streets of the calm areas where maximum speed is 40 km/h.
Launched in Europe in 2014, the electric hybrid is the second generation of Volvo hybrid buses. The model is in operation in cities like Gothenburg, Hamburg, Luxemburg and Stockholm.
Electromobility
The tests is a partnership among Volvo, Siemens, Ericsson, URBS, SETRANSP (Bus Company Employer’s Union of Curitiba and Metropolitan Region), UTFPR (Federal Technological University of Paraná) and the urban transport operators Redentor, Cidade Sorriso and Glória.
