Skip to main content

Volvo launches ElectriCity bus project in Sweden

Buses that glide noiselessly without emissions, that pick up passengers indoors and which are powered by a renewable source of electricity – this will become a reality in 2015, if a new initiative in the Swedish city of Gothenburg is successful. Behind the initiative, known as ElectriCity, is the Volvo Group, in cooperation with the Swedish Energy Agency, the City of Gothenburg, Västtrafik, Lindholmen Science Park and Johanneberg Science Park. The aim is to make buses powered entirely by electricity from r
June 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Buses that glide noiselessly without emissions, that pick up passengers indoors and which are powered by a renewable source of electricity – this will become a reality in 2015, if a new initiative in the Swedish city of Gothenburg is successful.

Behind the initiative, known as ElectriCity, is the 609 Volvo Group, in cooperation with the Swedish Energy Agency, the City of Gothenburg, Västtrafik, Lindholmen Science Park and Johanneberg Science Park.  The aim is to make buses powered entirely by electricity from renewable sources part of the Gothenburg’s public-transport system. The buses will be fuel-efficient, silent and completely emissions-free. At least one of the bus stops will be located indoors.

“This represents an entirely new mode of travel and will allow for the public-transport system to contribute to a more pleasant urban environment. A silent and emissions-free public-transport system will enable the inclusion of locations in the city that are currently off limits. It is immensely satisfying to be able to launch this in our hometown, in cooperation with Region Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg,” commented Olof Persson, president and CEO of Volvo.

Commencing in 2015, the electric buses are to run between Johanneberg Science Park adjacent to Chalmers and Lindholmen Science Park in Hisingen.

“The electric bus service entails a new mode of public-transport system usage, which is highly positive for Gothenburg. It will highlight Gothenburg as a progressive city in terms of city planning. This is also in line with our prioritised objective of having Gothenburg reduce its climate impact to become a climate-neutral city, and of increasing sustainable travel,” explains Anneli Hulthén, chairman of the Municipal Board.

The initiative also includes the creation and trial runs of new bus-stop solutions, traffic-routing systems, safety concepts, energy supply and business models.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smart phones offer smarter way to pay for travel
    December 16, 2013
    David Crawford reviews developments in near field communications for mass transit payments. ‘A carefully-designed and well-implemented mobile near field communications (NFC) solutions can give passengers a compelling experience that will encourage them to make greater use of public transport.’ That was the confident conclusion of a recent joint White Paper drawn up by the International Association of Public Transport and the global mobile operators’ representative group GSMA.
  • Daimler launches its ‘bus of the future’
    July 21, 2016
    Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz Future Bus made its first autonomous trip on a public road recently, when it was driven at speeds of up to 70 km/h on a section of a bus rapid transit route in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The 20 kilometre route, which links Schiphol Airport with the town of Haarlem, provided a challenge for the bus, with its numerous bends, tunnels and traffic signals. Although a driver was on board for safety reasons, for the most part the bus met the challenge autonomously, stopping at bus sto
  • Jet engine range extenders for electric vehicles
    June 19, 2015
    In its latest report, Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Land, Water & Air 2015-2025, IDTechEx claims that over eight million hybrid cars will be made in 2025, each with a range extender, the additional power source that distinguishes them from pure electric cars. Add to that significant money spent on the same devices in buses, military vehicles, boats and so on and a major new market emerges. Whereas today's range extenders usually consist of little more than off the shelf internal combustion engine
  • IBTTA: road user charge is the future
    March 16, 2022
    The US government’s cash injection for the nation’s bridges represents a step forward – but IBTTA’s Pat Jones suggests that states need to consider the benefits of road usage charging