Harrogate Bus Company (UK) Orders 8 All-Electric Volvo Buses

Harrogate (roughly 90 kilometers northeast of Manchester) will soon be home to a fleet of 8 all-electric Volvo buses, following an order put in with the Swedish bus manufacturer by the Harrogate Bus Company (owned by Transdev Blazefield).

“Soon” in this case refers to sometime in 2018, which is when the 8 all-electric Volvo 7900 buses will reportedly be entering service in the spa town.

The news is particularly notable since this will be the first time that all-electric buses using the OppCharge interface (opportunity charging) will be used in the UK.

The press release notes: “OppCharge is now starting to be used as a common interface in more than 12 countries. Opportunity charging takes place via a specialist overhead mast, which connects to the bus via a pantograph. Charging is fully automated and takes between 3 and 6 minutes to complete. Volvo’s electric bus has 80% lower energy consumption than the corresponding diesel bus.”

The President of Volvo Buses, Håkan Agnevall, commented: “It is extremely gratifying that Volvo’s first full electric buses will enter into service in the UK next year. The UK is one of our biggest markets for our electromobility program and we are excited about working together with Transdev Blazefield to make Harrogate a UK leader in clean, green public transport.”

It should be noted here that the order is being partly funded (apparently to the tune of £2.25 million) by the UK government’s Low Emission Bus Scheme.

Here’s some more information on the buses in question:

Volvo 7900 Electric
· All-electric two-axle 12-metre long city bus with low floor and 3 doors.
· 80% lower energy consumption than a corresponding diesel bus.
· Quiet, emission-free operation.
· Equipped with an electric motor and lithium ion batteries.
· The batteries can be charged at the end stops in 3 to 6 minutes.