Volvo Buses, a division within the Volvo Group based in Goteborg, Sweden, has announced that it is developing a plug-in hybrid electric bus that can drive long distances using only electricity. Three buses will be tested next year in Goteborg in a project supported by the European Union. Volvo Buses has already sold more than 250 hybrid electric buses worldwide, which are reducing fuel consumption by up to 35 percent. Its new plug-in hybrid bus is essentially the same Volvo hybrid bus as today, where the brake energy is recycled and used by the electric motor. With a new type of battery and charging equipment, however, it will also be possible to charge the battery from the stationary electricity grid.
展开▼
