Noiseless electric buses for Sweden in 2015

An ultra-modern bus service, featuring noiseless, emissions-free electric buses and indoor bus stops, will become a reality in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in 2015.

The initiative has been launched by the Volvo Group in cooperation with the Swedish Energy Agency, the City of Gothenburg, Göteborg Energi, Västtrafik, Lindholmen Science Park and Johanneberg Science Park.

It is claimed that the buses will be powered entirely by electricity from renewable sources. They will be extremely fuel efficient, silent and completely emissions free. Passengers on board will have access to new technologies and 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,” said Volvo President and CEO Olof Persson.

“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 home town, in cooperation with Region Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg.”

The electric buses are set to run between Johanneberg Science Park adjacent to Chalmers and Lindholmen Science Park in Hisingen. Anneli Hulthén, Chair of the Gothernburg Municipal Board, explained that the 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,” she said. “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.”

In addition to the electric buses, the cooperation also includes the creation and trial runs of new bus-stop solutions, traffic routing systems, safety concepts, energy supply and business models.

The hope is that the project, known as ElectriCity, will attract more commuters to use public transport. This is expected to clear the way for more, attractive public transport solutions in the Västra Götaland region.