Belgian cities opt for Volvo electric buses

Volvo Buses has secured a major order for electric buses from Belgian public transport company TEC Group, which has ordered 90 Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses and 12 charging stations to be deployed in the cities of Charleroi and Namur. The charging stations will be supplied by ABB. Volvo's electric hybrids and ABB's fast-charging systems are based on a common interface known as OppCharge, which enables the charging stations to also be used by electrified buses from other vehicle manufacturers. OppCharg

February 10, 2017 Read time: 1 min

609 Volvo Buses has secured a major order for electric buses from Belgian public transport company TEC Group, which has ordered 90 Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses and 12 charging stations to be deployed in the cities of Charleroi and Namur. The charging stations will be supplied by ABB.

Volvo's electric hybrids and ABB's fast-charging systems are based on a common interface known as OppCharge, which enables the charging stations to also be used by electrified buses from other vehicle manufacturers. OppCharge is now being implemented as a common interface in more than 12 countries.

The Volvo 7900 electric hybrid bus operates quietly and exhaust emission-free on electricity for about 70 per cent of its route. Battery recharging takes three to four minutes via OppCharge opportunity charging, which uses a specialist overhead mast connected to the bus via a pantograph.

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Volvo's electric buses begin operation in Luxemburg

From the beginning of June, four of Volvo’s all-electric 7900 buses have been in operation in Differdange, Luxembourg, operated by Sales-Lentz, which also has 12 electric hybrids and 30 hybrids from Volvo in its fleet.

February 7, 2017

Volvo to supply electric buses to UK transport operator

Volvo Buses has received an order for eight Volvo 7900 electric buses, from Transdev Blazefield for operation by the Harrogate Bus Company, UK. The vehicles will enter service in 2018 and will utilise 'opportunity charging' via the common interface OppCharge, which enables charging stations to also be used by electric buses from other vehicle manufacturers. Opportunity charging uses a specialist overhead mast, which connects to the bus via a pantograph. Charging is fully automated and takes between th

January 17, 2017

Swedish city moves to all-electric public transport

The city of Värnamo in southern Sweden is making the move to all-electric public transport and has ordered four electric buses from Volvo, with the aim of quadrupling the number of journeys by public transport over a three-year period. Officials plan to construct a new bus lane in the city to improve the appeal of public transport and improve accessibility. The four electric hybrid buses and their ABB charging station will be delivered as a turnkey solution, with Volvo assuming responsibility for main

September 19, 2017

Volvo secures further electric bus order in Norway

Norwegian public transport operator Tide Buss has placed an order for 25 Volvo 7900 electric buses for operation in the city of Trondheim. The fully electric buses will run on four routes in the city, covering distances of between 12 and 15 km each, with operation due to start in August 2019. The buses will be fast-charged using opportunity charging, via rails installed at the end stops. The charging stations will be based on an open interface known as OppCharge, which means they can be used by othe

April 25, 2017

ABB fast charging technology to be implemented by UK bus company

Electric charging technology specialist ABB has won a contract to supply three HVC 300P electric bus charging stations for a fleet of Volvo electric buses that will be operated in Harrogate, UK by Transdev Blazefield from 2018. ABB will also supply an electricity substation for installation at a bus station serving the town. The project will use OppCharge for ‘opportunity charging’, where buses are charged while they wait at bus stops at the end of the line equipped with fast-charging infrastructure. The bu