Gothenburg introduced the futuristic public transport on June 15 – an electric bus route. The silent and emission-free buses are operated on electricity generated from hydro and wind power. People can enter and exit the state-of-the-art bus from indoors and even recharge their phones onboard.
Powered entirely by renewable energy, the buses will be part of the public transport system in the Swedish city. All the buses plying in route 55 – 3 buses that run on electricity and 7 electric hybrid buses – are from Volvo. The buses on the route (from Chalmers Johanneberg to Chalmers Lindholmen cutting through the Gothenburg city center) are also equipped with Wi-Fi.
The batteries used in the buses are quickly recharged when they stop at terminal stations using renewable electricity. The terminal at Chalmers Lindholmen stop is an indoor terminal as the buses are silent and pollution free.
Chief Sustainability Officer of the Volvo Group Niklas Gustafsson said that the aim of the Group is to become the world leader as far as sustainable transport solution is concerned.
The bus route 55 has been made possible by ElectriCity, which represents a collaborative effort of research, industry and society for developing, testing and demonstrating new, attractive, sustainable and futuristic transport systems. ElectriCity also develops as well as tests new traffic management systems, bus stop systems, energy supply systems and safety concepts. In addition to putting Gothenburg on the map for the development of innovative systems for public transport, the bus route 55 opens up new urban planning possibilities.
Anneli Hulthen, the City Executive of Gothenburg, said that through ElectriCity and bus route 55, the city would be developed as a denser, sustainable city with rich urban life and attractive public spaces.
The ElectriCity project is expected to encourage usage of public transport and set the trend for the development of more innovative public transport solutions, especially in the Vastra Gotaland region.
