Scania is about to start its first field tests of battery powered electric buses in Sweden
Three Scania Citywide LF buses will be in operation from the end of 2017 with an additional three buses added in early 2019.
Two new charging stations will be built in Östersund to supply the six buses at both ends of the 14-kilometre major bus line. With 10-minute charging, buses will run every 15 minutes for a total of 100 journeys each day.
Scania Bus and Coach project manager Anne Sörensson says electric bus technology is the way of the future.
“The introduction of battery electric buses here is really exciting, they will contribute to our aim of achieving fossil-free transport by 2030,” she says.
Scania Bus and Coach head Anna Carmo e Silva says the manufacturer currently offers a wide range of buses and coaches that run on alternative fuels, including biogas, bioethanol, biodiesel and hybrid electric buses.
“By adding battery electric buses, we will further strengthen our focus on sustainable transport and complement this broad range with buses particularly for inner-city operations,” she says.
The trials will be carried out in collaboration with the City of Östersund and Region Jämtland Härjedalen’s Public Transport Authority, and the publically owned energy supplier Jämtkraft.
The buses will be operated by Nettbuss, a subsidiary of the Norwegian State Railways, which is the second largest bus operator in all Nordic countries.