Volvo Buses receives order for 36 hybrid buses as Switzerland’s capital continues its electrification of public transport
Public transport operator BERNMOBIL has awarded Volvo Buses for the delivery of full hybrid articulated and solo buses. The single order of 36 self-charging hybrid electric buses is the largest of its kind for Volvo Buses in Switzerland. The Volvo 7900 S-Charge buses will be delivered from January 2022 to June 2022.
The new Volvo S-Charge buses will significantly reduce noise and greenhouse gas emissions in the city and feature a full electric propulsion system, enabling the buses to travel for longer in zero emission mode. Intelligent zoning will manage the hybrid driving mode of the vehicles, providing the highest operational flexibility of the fleet and eliminate noise and emissions in pre-defined areas.
Markus Anderegg, Technical Director BERNMOBIL, says: “The Volvo 7900 S-Charge meets our operational and technical requirements perfectly. The high capacity, the total cost of ownership, the excellent service support and the mature zoning and self-charging concept made the difference for us.”
Jean-Pierre Roemer at Volvo Buses Switzerland says: “The Volvo 7900 S-Charge is one of our cleanest buses, generating up to 40% lower CO2 emissions than a comparable diesel bus. In Bern, the CO2 emissions will be reduced by almost 50 tonnes per year. With the support of Volvo’s geofencing system, ‘Volvo Zone Management’, the vehicle can be programmed to drive in electric mode in low emission zones or in areas where it will be most beneficial to the community, such as bus stops and city centres.”
The Volvo 7900 S-Charge launched in 2020 and uses mature hybrid technology that has greatly improved in recent years. It requires no charging infrastructure, as the bus’s energy recovery system is used to charge the batteries during operation. The bus can run on electric energy alone for distances up to one kilometre and at speeds up to 50 km/h. This leads to significant fuel savings as well as reduced noise and CO2 emissions.
BERNMOBIL started the replacement of its diesel buses in 2006. Noise and greenhouse gas emissions have already been significantly reduced in the greater Bern area as a result. Fuel savings of more than 35% have also been realized with the existing Volvo Hybrid fleet in Bern.
“We at Volvo Buses are very proud to be a partner to BERNMOBIL in its electrification journey,” says Gerd Schneider, Volvo Buses Cluster Manager Switzerland & Germany.
The Volvo 7900 S-Charge buses for this order to BERNMOBIL will be manufactured at Volvo Buses’ production facility in Wroclaw, Poland and will be ready for delivery in December 2021.
