Three all-electric and seven electric-hybrid buses, all of them provided by Swedish automobile major Volvo, has started plying on the nine-kilometer-long Route 55 between Lindholmen and Johanneberg in Gothenburg.
All the vehicles, armed with battery packs that can be charged with electricity, can avail the service from two high power charging stations at the terminal points.
The terminals have been jointly set up by Siemens and energy supplier Gteborg Energi.
Siemens business unit urban transport - CEO Sandra Gott-Karlbauer said: "Gothenburg's eBus route nicely shows how flexible our charging system can be. For the first time, a Siemens charging station was installed indoors. Instead on top of a mast system, the pantograph is being located on the ceiling of the building."
Volvo and Siemens had joined hands in 2012 on the electromobility domain, and have since inked a global agreement regarding the supply of complete electrified bus systems to cities.
Pursuant to the agreement, Volvo Buses have been entrusted with supplying electric-hybrid buses and full-electric buses, while Siemens will play its role by installing charging stations with power of up to 450 kW.
Volvo Buses President Hakan Agnevall said: "The energy consumption of the Volvo electric buses is about 80 per cent lower than that of corresponding diesel buses. Quiet and entirely exhaust-free operation will contribute both to a better urban environment and reduced climate impact, while passengers get a more pleasant ride."
Image: Electric bus service for Route 55 between in Gothenburg, Sweden. Photo: courtesy of Volvo.
