Volvo Buses has secured yet another large order for hybrid buses. Nobina has ordered 47 hybrid buses, eleven of them articulated, for inner-city operations in the cities of Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik. This is Volvo’s largest hybrid order in Sweden to date. They buses enter operation in September.
“The new hybrid buses produce extremely low exhaust emissions and are far quieter in operation that the older buses they replace. This will be noticed in the form of improved air quality and less noise in the city,” says Martin Atterhall, Fleet Manager at Nobina.
Nobina is part of the Nobina Group, one of Europe’s largest providers of passenger transport, carrying 280 million passengers a year.
The first 30 hybrid buses will start operating in Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik in mid-June, with the remainder being delivered in autumn 2014. All told Volvo Buses has sold more than 1350 hybrid buses, of which just over 120 in Sweden.
The order encompasses 36 two-axle Volvo 7900 Hybrid buses and 11 Volvo 7900 Hybrid Articulated buses, as well as 11 diesel-powered Volvo 8900 low-entry buses. All of them meet the latest European Euro 6 emission requirements. The 18 metre long articulated hybrid is the latest addition to Volvo Buses’ model range and can carry up to 154 passengers. This is more than any other hybrid bus on the market.
Both the hybrid models are equipped with Volvo’s hybrid driveline. This is a parallel hybrid system where the electric motor and diesel engine can be used either together or independently of each other. The energy generated during engine braking is stored in the on-board battery pack and is later used to power the electric motor.
At bus stops, the bus operates quietly and emission-free, on electricity alone. This technology gives a fuel saving of between 30 and 40 per cent depending on the model. The diesel engine runs on biodiesel, which helps further reduce the vehicle’s climate footprint. Emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates from the hybrid buses are half as much as for the cleanest conventional diesel-powered buses.
Facts, Volvo 7900 Hybrid and Volvo 7900 Hybrid Articulated, Euro 6
- The two-axle version offers up to 39 % lower fuel consumption than a corresponding diesel bus, the articulated version has about 30 % lower fuel consumption.
- 40-50 % lower exhaust emissions.
- Quiet and emission-free at bus stops.
- Powered by electricity/diesel or biodiesel.
- Equipped with an electric motor, batteries and a small diesel engine.
- The diesel engine (Volvo D5) meets the EU’s latest emission standards, Euro 6.
- The driveline is a parallel hybrid, which means that the diesel engine and electric motor can be used independently of one another.
- The batteries are charged with the energy generated during engine braking.
- The electric motor is used primarily during acceleration from standstill and up to 15-20 km/h.
- The articulated bus is 18 m long, has a low floor and can carry up to 154 passengers.
