Volvo’s industry leading new B7RLE bus is helping customers keep costs under control in a climate of volatile fuel prices.
Volvo’s industry leading new B7RLE bus is helping customers keep costs under control in a climate of volatile fuel prices.
Designed and built with the latest technology, including a new seven-litre 6-cylinder diesel engine, the B7RLE low entry city bus offers excellent fuel efficiency and low emissions without compromising on power or drivability.
“With rising petrol prices, and growing concerns for the environment, these developments are excellent news for bus operators,” says David Mead, General Manager Volvo Bus.
The changes result from ongoing technical research, development, customer feedback and testing by Volvo.
“We’ve already had great results in our Volvo customers’ fleets who are enjoying significant fuel savings,” Mead says.
The B7RLE comes fitted with the newly developed D7E engine, which is equipped with updated systems for fuel injection and is controlled by the latest generation engine management system (EMS 2).
The B7RLE’s excellent fuel efficiency is made possible by the engine’s fuel injection and common rail technology.
This injects fuel into the engine under very high pressure (1600 bar) through a pump connected to a single shared pipe.
The injection pressure and timing are electronically controlled at lightning speed to ensure the bus continuously functions as efficiently as possible and adapts to every operating condition.
As a result, only precisely metered and finely atomised fuel enters the combustion chamber, resulting in high fuel efficiency and combustion rates, a broad torque range and long service life.
By supplementing this high combustion rate with SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) exhaust gas after-treatment, the B7RLE is also environmentally friendly. The technology converts nitrogen oxides, which contribute to air pollution, smog and global warming, into harmless nitrogen gas and water vapour.
“The B7RLE has such low emissions that it’s already available in EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicles) configuration and is now being offered as standard to meet the strict Euro V levels, even though these will not be enforced in Australia for a couple of years,” says Mead.
The Volvo B7RLE has been developed with the end user in mind. It has a generous aisle width and low floor (just 320mm above the road level) which considerably aid entry and exit and make it ideal for use as a city or intercity bus.
The rear mounted engine offers flexibility in the final design of the bus, as does the driveline, which can be tailored to meet a wide variety of needs.
“The Volvo B7RLE has been enhanced using the latest technology, equipment and materials. It has been built for a long and problem free life with long service intervals and reduced operation costs, and offers a safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly transport solution,” he explains.