Gothenburg will soon have 220 electric bus units on its public transport network. Public transport agency Västtrafik, after having ordered 30 electric buses from Volvo in summer 2018, took the option for another batch of as many as 130 electric buses. The buses will be operated in Gothenburg, Mölndal and Partille by Transdev, that recently won a ten year contract for the public transport service in the city.
130 more electric buses, Västtrafik chose the option
The agreement worth SEK 8 billion was awarded to the transport company Transdev. Västtrafik’s largest procurement of bus traffic so far includes 30 new electric buses and, as mentioned above, was signed in summer 2018. In the procurement, there were also options for further 130 electric buses, which Västtrafik decided to trigger at the signing of the agreement, the public transport agency explains in a press release. The vehicles ordered will bring to 220 the number of electric buses in operation in the city. The news was reported on Insideevs.com.
“The transition to a fully powered city traffic is crucial for us to be able to reach the high environmental goals we have. At the same time, we reduce noise and emissions so that people feel better and we can build denser, more attractive cities. It feels great that we are so far ahead of the development and we hope it will inspire more regions to take the same steps,”says Lars Backström, CEO of Västtrafik.
“This is only the beginning. By 2030, we expect to have electrified all city traffic in Västra Götaland. The procurement also shows that we can skillfully combine responsible finances with good quality and sustainability, says Peter Hermansson, Chairman of the Board of Västtrafik.
Västtrafik, leader in sustainable development
Västtrafik, the public transport agency in the Västra Götaland region, has high sustainability targets. Carbon dioxide emissions are to be cut by 80 % by 2020, 95 % of all transport shall take place with renewable energy by 2025, and noise from transport is to be reduced.
To date in Gothenburg more than 60 Volvo hybrid buses are already operating. After all, the town is the birthplace of Volvo group, and it is known for ElectriCity project: since 2015, route 55 has been operated by Volvo all-electric buses and electric hybrids. As of June 2018, the very first two all-electric Volvo electric buses have also been operating on part of route 16.
The 30 new electric buses ordered last year will run on route 60 in Gothenburg from the end of 2019. Bus route 60 is one of Västtrafik’s most heavily trafficked routes in Gothenburg. In 2017 there were more than 6.2 million journeys on this route and additional 0.7 million journeys on route 59 and 62, where the new buses will be eventually used.
Electric buses and charging on route
Still with regards to the 30 units of electric bus that will be delivered in the next months will have 200 kWh battery capacity and will be charged at the route’s end stops (through ABB fast charging stations) and in the depot. Volvo will provide all maintenance for both the vehicles and their batteries at a fixed monthly cost.
In Malmö, since mid-December 2018, thirteen 7900 Electric have been operating on line 7. Also these vehicles are deployed by the public transport company Nobina. They are equipped with fast charging systems and are charged at the final stations of the route. Uddevalla has also ordered four Volvo 7900 Electrics.
