Volvo presents new electric articulated bus

Volvo buses has introduced a new, all-electric articulated bus for quiet emission-free high-capacity operations.

The new Volvo 7900 Electric Articulated bus extends Volvo’s range of electrified buses to include hybrid buses, electric hybrid buses and all-electric buses. The new bus was first introduced in June at the UITP Global Transport Summit in Stockholm, Sweden.

The bus has space for up to 150 passengers. It’s based on the prototypes that have been running test operations since June 2018 on the high-frequency route 16 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The two concept buses have so far fun 4,500 hours and covered over 62,000 km (38,525 miles) with excellent uptime.

The Volvo 7900 Electric Articulated in commercial configuration will be available in a choice of two lengths – 18 and 18.7 meters (59 and 61 feet) – and it is designed to meet high demands on capacity, comfort and traffic information, while at the same time offering efficient passenger flow. The batteries will be charged both via fast-charge stations at either end of the route, and via overnight charging at the depot using CCS. The Volvo 7900 Electric Articulated will be unveiled to the public at the BusWorld exhibition in Brussels, Belgium in October.

Electric buses are a cornerstone of the next generation of public transport, as Volvo Buses President Håkan Agnevall said at the UITP congress.

“The transition to sustainable public transport is taking place in cities all over the world,” Agnevall said. “With silent, zero-emission electric buses equipped with advanced safety systems, we can assist cities in solving the problems with emissions, noise, congestion and traffic accidents to become what we call Zero Cities. In this context our new high capacity electric articulated bus a very important tool.”

Volvo’s range of electrified buses includes:

- Hybrid buses: Volvo 7900 Hybrid, Volvo 7900 Hybrid Articulated and Volvo Hybrid Double Decker. Up to 39 percent more energy-efficient than a corresponding diesel bus.

- Electric hybrids (plug-in hybrids): Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid and Volvo Electric Hybrid Double Decker (B5LHC). Up to 60 percent more energy-efficient than a corresponding diesel bus.

- Electric buses: Volvo 7900 Electric. Up to 80 percent more energy-efficient than a corresponding diesel bus. Volvo 7900 Electric Articulated (coming fall 2019).