Volvo's Largest Hybrid Bus Order to Date
2011-01-07 Source：www.chinabuses.org
www.chinabuses.org: Volvo Buses has secured its largest order to date for hybrid buses. Bus operator Arriva has ordered 27 Volvo 7700 Hybrid buses for the city of Dordrecht in the Netherlands. The introduction takes place in close cooperation with the Province of South Holland, the regional transport authority in the area. South Holland vigurously pursues a policy to implement cleaner public transport.
More cities are now taking steps to reduce energy consumption and thus the environmental impact of public transport by introducing hybrid buses. Volvo Buses commenced serial production of hybrid buses six months ago and in a short time has received orders for nearly 200 hybrid buses for many different European cities.
“By recycling the brake energy in the buses, we are able to significantly reduce fuel consumption and thus also energy consumption and emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide,” says Volvo Buses’ Environmental Manager, Edward Jobson. “We have noted that the reduction generated by the hybrid buses in operation could be as much as 35%.”
The most recent city to introduce Volvo’s hybrid buses is Dordrecht, where bus operator Arriva will commence hybrid traffic in March next year. The 27 buses will be delivered during 2011 and early 2012. Special attention has been placed on the exterior and interior color scheme, which should attract more passengers and further emphasize the key environmental aspects.
Arriva has also decided to sign a gold contract with Volvo Buses. This means that the operator has assigned Volvo Buses the responsibility for maintenance and all bus repairs for a predetermined monthly cost.
Volvo’s hybrid bus is a parallel hybrid, where a smaller diesel engine and an electric engine can be operated independently or jointly. The electric engine operates on a battery that is charged by recycling the brake energy. A major advantage is that the diesel engine switches off at bus stops and the bus starts again using only the electric engine. This creates a quiet and exhaust-free environment at bus stops.
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