Volvo receives biggest bus order to date from Gothenburg

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Gothenburg has begun electrifying public transport early on and their relation with Volvo is longstanding. GS Buss now invigorated it by ordering 30 all-electric buses from Volvo. It is the biggest order of that kind to date.

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GS Buss, a subsidiary of Göteborgs Spårvägar and Public Transport Authority Västtrafik, expects to take hold of the electric buses next autumn. They will run on route 60 in Gothenburg.

For Volvo Trucks and Buses, it is another success for their only electric model, the 7900 Electric. Gothenburg is in line with a number of cities and operators to opt for the Volvo electric bus such as Arriva in the Netherlands, or Norgebuss of Oslo.

In Gothenburg, more than 60 Volvo hybrid buses are already in operation and some electric models have joined the fleet. All are part of the ElectriCity initiative that saw the electrification of route 55 and 16 so far. The city agreed to run the project with Volvo throughout 2020 at least – a natural fit given that Volvo calls Gothenburg their home town.

Still, the order from GS Buss is the largest Volvo has seen so far. The 30 all-electric buses will run on route 60 between Redbergsplatsen and Masthugget and also on routes 59 and 62.

They will have 200 kWh battery capacity and will be charged at the route’s end stops and in the depot. GS Buss will be responsible for the charging infrastructure. As with other deals, Volvo will provide all maintenance for both the vehicles and their batteries at a fixed monthly cost. The electric buses will be delivered in the third quarter of 2019.

Update 11.04.2019: ABB has been awarded the contract to supply the rapid charging infrastructure for 30 fully electric buses in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, which the public transport operator GS Buss had ordered from Volvo. ABB’s chargers are due to be delivered in summer 2019 and the electric buses will start operating in October.

automotiveworld.com (PI), abb.com (Update)