Sustainable Bus of the Year 2018: 19 candidates for the podium of sustainability
- SBY 2018 will be delivered on October 19th 2017 at Busworld Europe in Kortrijk
- Urban candidates: Heuliez Gx 337 Electric, Irizar i2e, Solaris Urbino 12 Electric, Van Hool Exqui.City, Vdl Citea Slfa-181 Electric, Vehixel Cytios 4 Cng, Volvo 7900 Electric
- Intercity candidates: Irizar i4 Hybrid, Iveco Crossway Cng, Scania Citywide Le Hybrid, Setra MultiClass S418 Le Business, Solaris Interurbino, Vdl Futura Fmd2-135
- Coach candidates: Irizar i6s Integral, Man Lion’s Coach, Mercedes Tourismo, Neoplan Skyliner, Setra ComfortClass S516 Hd/2, Vdl Futura Fhd2-106
Nineteen buses and coaches are running straight toward the final stage of Sustainable Bus of the Year Award 2018, that will be delivered at Busworld Kortrijk on 19th October
The prize, promoted by Italian magazine Autobus in cooperation with Politecnico University of Milan (in the person of professor Giulio Ceppi), is divided into three categories: Urban, Intercity and Coach. Launched in 2016, it’s the first and only European award that acknowledges sustainability in the field of buses. SBY comes to its second edition enriched with a prestigious showcase and an international jury, composed by French magazine Mobilités Magazine (Jean-Philippe Pastre), by the German editorial office Ntt (Wolfgang Tschakaert, also organizer of International Bus & Coach competition) and by Austrian magazine 1BUS (Ernst Müller).
Many of the candidates are alternative fuels vehicles. However, the award is characterized by a cross-cutting idea of sustainability, intended as the ability to establish a positive image of the vehicle to the eyes of the general public.
Hence, in addition to low level of emissions, several aspects can come into play, such as safety (both for driver, passengers and pedestrians), comfort, noise, recyclability of components and the general environmental commitment of the manufacturer. Coming to candidates, in the urban field there are seven contenders.
They are Solaris Urbino 12 Electric, Vdl Citea Slfa-181 Electric, Irizar i2e and full electric version of Volvo 7900, protagonist of ElectriCity project in Gothenburg. Heuliez Gx 337 Electric, Vehixel Cytios 4 Cng (the only not-electric urban candidate) and the trolley bus Van Hool Exqui.City 24m complete the group. About intercity buses, two hybrids will take part to the challenge: Irizar i4 Hybrid and Scania Citywide Le Hybrid. Beyond these, other contenders are new Iveco Crossway Cng, Solaris Interurbino, Setra MultiClass S418 Le Business and Vdl Futura Fmd2-135. Coming to coaches, the latest arrivals Mercedes Tourismo and Man Lion’s Coach will face Setra ComfortClass S516 Hd/2, Irizar i6s Integral, Neoplan Skyliner and Futura Fhd2-106, the smallest of Vdl tourist range.
Finalists will be announced in September.
