Volvo Buses continues its drive to meet global demand for sustainable electrified public transport solutions. That is the company’s main message at the UITP world congress and exhibition in Montreal on May 14-17, 2017. The visit of more than 50 members of the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings signifies the strong interest of state road transport undertakings to embrace electro mobility in India.
With sales of electrified buses totalling 4,250 units, Volvo and its North American subsidiary Nova Bus have a world-leading position in the field of electromobility. The most recent product to be unveiled is an all-electric model from Nova Bus.
“At Volvo we are proud to be a global leader in this development. As one of the largest manufacturers of buses and coaches in the world, we have a responsibility to the society. And we truly believe we can make a difference as pioneers of the global development of sustainable transports,” said Håkan Agnevall, President Volvo Buses.
Volvo has so far sold just over 3,300 hybrids, electric hybrids and all-electric buses under its own brand. Its subsidiary Nova Bus accounts for another 950 hybrid buses. Early this year Volvo recorded its largest single order ever for electric hybrid buses, 90 units, for the cities of Namur and Charleroi in Belgium. The most recent product development is a new, electrically powered 40 foot (12.2 m) bus, the Nova Bus LFSe, which was on display at UITP. The first three of these buses will soon enter operation in Montreal.
Just as with Volvo’s electric buses and electric hybrids, the batteries in the Nova Bus LFSe are rapid-charged with the help of a pantograph, via charging infrastructure installed in the bus roof. A charge of 3-6 minutes is sufficient for approximately 15 km of operation. The charging station is based on the common interface, OppCharge, that Volvo has developed together with companies such as Siemens and ABB, making it possible for electric buses of all makes to use the same charging station. The Volvo stand also has an OppCharge station on display.
A delegation of over 50 members of the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU) is participating in UITP Montreal.
‘We are extremely happy to participate in UITP Montreal given the event’s focus on promoting integration, sustainability and modernity in public transport. There is a consensus among all stakeholders that electro mobility is the future of public transport in India. Policy makers are currently laying out a technological and financial roadmap for the sustainable adoption of electro mobility. Volvo’s global experience with electro mobility will certainly help accelerate India’s journey in this domain,’ shared Ananda Rao, Executive Director, Association of State Road Transport Undertakings.
UITP Montreal
The biennial UITP Global Public Transport Summit and Exhibition brings together diverse public transport stakeholders. The latest edition was organised in the Canadian city of Montreal from May 14-17, features 280 exhibitors from 40 countries. About 11,000 visitors attended the event.
The theme for this edition is, ‘LEAD the TRANSITion.’ Public transport impacts and is impacted by factors like unprecedented urbanisation, digitisation, advances in green energy and the emergence of new mobility players on the scene.
The Summit shines a spotlight on pioneers and emerging players in Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The changing mobility world is seeing the emergence of various innovative transport services offering the shared use of vehicles and together with the rise of autonomous driving technology. On the other hand, the public transport sector is also driving innovative solutions, such as alternative propulsion systems, that are allowing for increasing levels of energy efficiency.
Volvo Buses participated in several of the workshops and focus sessions held in conjunction with the UITP congress: ‘Growing Electrification of the Urban Transport System,’ ‘Deploying Urban Electric Bus Systems’, ‘OppCharge’ and ‘Pioneer in Electromobility.’