ABB and Volvo have partnered to develop and commercialize electric and hybrid buses with open standards-based direct current (DC) fast charging systems.
The companies say the partnership creates a standardized charging system — based on the global DC fast charging standards for passenger cars — for electric and hybrid buses that can charge buses quickly through an automatic roof-top connection system at bus stops or through cabled charging systems overnight.
This approach is intended to allow re-use of existing e-mobility technology and ensure rapid deployment.
The first join project is planned for Luxemburg’s pubic transportation system in 2015.
Volvo says its new electric hybrid bus (pictured), which reduces fuel consumption by 75 percent compared to conventional diesel buses, will debut at the IAA exhibition in Hannover, Germany, in September.
Volvo debuted its plug-in hybrid buses in May 2013. That same month, Volvo began testing a program to supply electric power to trucks and buses via power lines built into the surface of the road, thus eliminating the need for large in-vehicle batteries.
By 2018 annual sales of buses with hybrid systems, battery electric systems or fuel cells will reach 20,000 worldwide, compared to 5,000 expected in 2012, according to a 2012 report by Pike Research.