Volvo Launches Hybrid Bus, Touts 30% Lower Fuel Consumption

Volvo launched the Volvo 7700 Hybrid, which the company is touting as the market’s first commercially viable hybrid bus.

The hybrid bus uses up to 30 percent lower fuel consumption. The automaker expects bus operators can earn a payback on the extra costs in only five to seven years.

The first buses will be delivered to customers during 2009. Mass production begins in early 2010.

In February, a report by the DOE National Renewable Energy Lab revealed that New York City’s newer hybrid buses cost 40 percent less to maintain and 24 percent less to operate than previous hybrids.

General Motors and Daimler Buses North America have both recently received large orders for hybrid buses.