Skip to main content

Volvo's electric buses begin operation in Luxemburg

From the beginning of June, four of Volvo’s all-electric 7900 buses have been in operation in Differdange, Luxembourg, operated by Sales-Lentz, which also has 12 electric hybrids and 30 hybrids from Volvo in its fleet.
June 13, 2017 Read time: 1 min

From the beginning of June, four of 609 Volvo’s all-electric 7900 buses have been in operation in Differdange, Luxembourg, operated by Sales-Lentz, which also has 12 electric hybrids and 30 hybrids from Volvo in its fleet.

The new buses are part of Differdange's sustainability drive, with public transport forming a crucial focus area. The new buses are used on four routes and each bus is driven for approximately 25 minutes, then its batteries are fast-charged in three to six minutes at the end stations using an open interface known as OppCharge (opportunity charging). The charging stations were supplied by Heliox.

The 12m long Volvo 7900 all-electric bus can carry up to 85 passengers and is equipped with an electric motor and lithium-ion batteries. According to Volvo, the buses have 80 per cent lower energy consumption than a comparable diesel bus and are silent and emission-free.

OppCharge opportunity charging is compatible with other brands and models of electric buses.  The chargers offer charging power of 150, 300, 450 or 600 kW, while the buses’ on-board pantographs connect automatically to an overhead charging mast.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Meeting the challenges of smartcard fare payment
    July 4, 2012
    David Crawford monitors a growing trend in contactless smartcard ticketing The north east United States has become a hive of activity in the smart fare payment arena. In October 2011, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) published, as a preliminary to an imminent procurement process, the detailed concept of its New Fare Payment System (NFPS). Based on open payment industry standards, this is designed to be implemented on all MTA bus and subway services operated by New York City Transit (
  • Success of London’s congestion charge scheme
    February 15, 2013
    Said to be the biggest congestion charge scheme to launch in any city, the London scheme got off to a smooth start ten years ago on 17 February 2003, much to the surprise of London's then mayor Ken Livingstone, who ten years later says “it turned out better than I expected.” None of the anticipated pre-7am congestion as drivers attempted to avoid the charge happened, and by the end of the first day 57,000 drivers had paid it. The main problem seemed to be that buses were all running ahead of time and had t
  • Confusion over electric motors for heavy trucks
    December 19, 2016
    According to Dr Peter Harrop of research company IDTechEx, there is still no agreement on the best type of electric motor to use in heavy trucks. The company’s analysis indicates that the booming, confusing traction motor business will rise to around US$400 billion in 2027. Its new report, Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles 2017-2027 navigates the jargon, the design options and the disagreements. The changing needs and evolving technology are matched to create forecasts and technology timelines based
  • Dawning of Midnight eVTOL for Los Angeles
    August 26, 2024
    Archer Aviation's planned network includes vertiports at LAX, Orange County & Santa Monica