Helsinki launches electric bus pilot

Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) and the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) are to launch an extensive joint pilot to introduce light-weight electric buses in Helsinki, where the demanding climatic conditions provide an excellent test environment. The first 12 buses, made from aluminium and developed by Linkker, will purchased by HSL and be in service by late summer. The buses will be equipped with sensors to collect data and a real-time monitoring and control system will be developed to receive info
February 26, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
6995 Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) and the Technical Research Centre of Finland (814 VTT) are to launch an extensive joint pilot to introduce light-weight electric buses in Helsinki, where the demanding climatic conditions provide an excellent test environment.

The first 12 buses, made from aluminium and developed by Linkker, will purchased by HSL and be in service by late summer.

The buses will be equipped with sensors to collect data and a real-time monitoring and control system will be developed to receive information about battery charge levels. Their performance will be evaluated in VTT's chassis dynamometer.

The pilot is part of a wider four-year development project of innovative and emission-free bus transport in order to create the infrastructure and operating network for the introduction of new technologies.

"Thanks to their light weight, the buses will also be extremely energy-efficient. The batteries will be quick-charged at the terminal. Other benefits include zero emissions and quiet operation," says Linkker's managing director Kimmo Erkkilä.

"VTT has been involved in the development of electric buses right from the start, and we are pleased to say that Finland is creating an international reference for electric buses," says Nils-Olof Nylund, head of VTT's TransSmart research programme.

HSL's target is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and harmful local emissions from bus transport by over 90 per cent by 2025. In order to reach this target, HSL has to implement electric buses, new low-emission diesel vehicles and biofuels.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Ports are facing a digital sea-change
    March 24, 2021
    Next-generation cellular will revolutionise the ports and maritime sector. Its arrival is just in time, as the industry faces a variety of challenges which require new technological solutions
    Read More
  • Cut freight deliveries – improve Southampton’s air quality
    November 23, 2018
    Taking the pressure off cities’ road networks can have a beneficial effect on the environment. David Crawford looks at a new economic model which seeks to quantify the societal effect of freight traffic in Southampton, one of the UK’s five most polluted cities Cuts of 60% or more in volumes of freight deliveries are being predicted - along with badly-needed improvements in air quality - from a load consolidation scheme currently being introduced in the UK port city of Southampton. The forecasts are based o
    Read More
  • Air quality tops transportation agendas
    November 17, 2014
    Colin Sowman catches up on some of the latest research around outdoor pollution and looks at options available to authorities in areas of poor air quality. Iair quality hasn’t already reached the top of the agenda in transportation department meetings in your area, it probably soon will with national, trans-national and even global bodies calling for authorities to reduce pollution levels.
    Read More
  • Survey: Majority of UK public remains worried about global warming
    August 4, 2015
    A new survey of over 2,000 members of the public by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and ICM Unlimited has found that 57 per cent of the public are worried about global warming, with 14 per cent saying they were ‘very worried’. The poll found that 64 per cent of people think global warming is already a problem now, while 70 per cent said they think global warming will be a problem in 20 years’ time. The main issues the respondents said they were worried about were flooding and sea level rises (63
    Read More

Highlighted Content