Volvo’s first all-electric bus begins public road tests

Volvo’s first electric bus has officially commenced public road testing in Gothenburg, Sweden. Mid-June will see the start of traffic on route 55 between Lindholmen and Chalmers / Johanneberg in Gothenburg. Volvo will be deploying ten new buses on this route, of which, three are all electric buses and seven are electric hybrids.

Volvo states that the electric bus consumes about 80% less energy than a corresponding diesel bus. Before it enters regular operations, Volvo’s new electric bus will also be shown at the large UITP public-transport show in Milan on June 8-10. On the inside, the bus gets three power sockets for the passengers and it features on-board wifi as well. The vehicle has a capacity of 86 passengers.

Series production of all-electric Volvo buses is scheduled for 2017.