Plug-in Hybrid bus under development at Volvo

The new hybrid under development is the same as the hybrid bus on sale now which uses a diesel engine along with the electric motor, the electric motor is powered by brake energy recuperation. Now, there is a new type of battery along with charging equipment. The idea behind the new hybrid is that there will be charging stations in bus stops where the on-board battery can be charged for five to ten minutes during which time the battery will acquire enough electricity to drive for about ten kilometres purely on the battery. The new system will allow the bus to drive through low pollution zones or environmentally sensitive areas.

Hakan Karlsson, CEO Volvo Buses, said, “Reducing the total global energy consumption is the most important measure today and in the future. We expect to be able to reduce the energy consumption in a city bus by up to 65% compared with today’s diesel buses. Plug-in hybrid bus will be able to reduce diesel consumption and thus carbon-dioxide emissions by more than 75%.”

A prototype bus is expected to be ready within this year and by 2012 three buses will be on field test in Gothenburg, Sweden using three chargeable hybrid buses. The field test will commence from autumn of 2012 and Volvo Buses is not sure yet if they will be able to offer this bus on sale or not due to the lack of charging infrastructure in other parts of Sweden and rest of the world for that matter.