The Swedish city of Värnamo is transitioning its public transit system to an electrified bus fleet following delivery of a new order with Volvo plug-in hybrid electric buses, according to an email sent to CleanTechnica.
Considering that the city is only home to ~19,000 people, this order “only” consists of 4 Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses. The order fulfillment, and the integration of the new buses in the city’s transit system, is expected to be completed by Autumn 2017.
Once this integration is complete, Värnamo will apparently be the first city in Sweden to use only electrified buses in its public transit system.
“It’s impressive and really gratifying that Värnamo has now decided to lead the way and create a sustainable public transport system based on our hybrid buses. Electrically powered buses are the future for both large cities and small towns,” stated Martin Spjern, Key Account Manager Nordic at Volvo Buses.
Interestingly, the implementation of the new electric buses will be accompanied by an increase in public transit frequency, which is intended to spur growth in ridership levels. A new bus lane is being developed as well.
“With this move we are taking yet another step in the construction of tomorrow’s attractive city, with our sights firmly set on developing as a human-centric growth municipality with a population of 40,000 by 2035,” stated Behnam Sharo, Värnamo city architect.
The electric buses will be paired with an ABB charging station, delivered as a turnkey solution, according to the email. Volvo will be handling the maintenance of the new buses.
The email provides a few more points about the Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid:
- Powered by electricity for about 70% of the route.
- Quiet and emission-free during electric propulsion.
- 60% lower energy consumption compared with corresponding diesel bus.
- 75–90% lower carbon dioxide emissions(1), depending on type of fuel.
- Equipped with electric motor, batteries and a small diesel engine.
- The batteries are rapid-charged in about 3–4 minutes.
And stats about the ABB OppCharge (Opportunity Charging) station as well:
- Open interface between charging station and vehicle.
- Charging output 150 or 450 kW.
- Pantograph attached to the charging pylon makes it possible to fit a cost-effective, lightweight solution on the bus roof.
- Conductive charging via pantograph, with communication between bus and charging station via WiFi.
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