Swedish town of Värnamo goes electric with Volvo Electric Hybrid Buses

Volvo Buses has received an order for four Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses from the city of Värnamo in southern Sweden. With this move, all public transport in this city of just over 19,000 people will be with electrified buses as of autumn 2017, making Värnamo unique among all Swedish cities.

“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,” says Martin Spjern, Key Account Manager Nordic at Volvo Buses.

Electrification of Värnamo’s bus services will contribute to more appealing public transport and a better urban environment, with less noise and better air quality. At the same time, the buses will operate more frequently and accessibility will improve, not least with construction of an all-new bus lane. The aim is to quadruple the number of journeys by public transport over a three-year period.

“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,” says Behnam Sharo, Värnamo city architect.

“We are very pleased about the investment, it shows the possibilities to be at the forefront when it comes to new technology, even though you are situated outside Sweden’s three largest cities,” says Rune Backlund, region politician.

Turnkey solution for quiet and climate-smart operation

The Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid operates quietly on electricity and without any exhaust gases for about 70 per cent of its route. Charging the batteries at the charging station takes three to four minutes with the help of a system known as opportunity charging. Compared with a corresponding diesel-powered bus, the electric hybrid uses about 60 per cent less energy all told. The buses operating in Värnamo will run on renewable electricity and renewable HVO fuel, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 90 per cent.

The four electric hybrid buses and their ABB charging station will be delivered as a turnkey solution, with Volvo assuming responsibility for maintenance of the buses and their batteries at a fixed monthly cost.

The programme to electrify Värnamo’s public transport is a joint effort by Värnamo municipality and county transport provider Jönköpings länstrafik. Traffic operations will be handled by Nettbuss.

Volvo’s electric hybrids and electric buses are already in service in cities such as Gothenburg, Stockholm, Hamburg, Luxemburg and Curitiba.

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, 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.

ABB OppCharge (Opportunity Charging) station

• 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.

About Volvo Buses

Volvo Buses is a leading manufacturer of buses and coaches. With R&D centres in Europe, Asia and the Americas we reinforce our global offers with local expertise and presence.

Throughout our entire organisation we focus on Volvo’s core values: Quality, Safety and Care for the Environment and we express this in the brand promise Driving Quality of Life.

Our success in bringing hybrid technology and electric propulsion to the market is an evidence our leadership and competence in this field.

Transporting people means a certain responsibility in terms of safety and here Volvo has a solid reputation. New features and systems are continuously introduced and our R&D plan for safety technology stretches over decades.

In total we are more than 7,000 dedicated people, annually delivering more than 10,000 vehicles, all of them in the class over 12 tonnes. We are active all over the world and our service network includes more than 140 countries