Stockholm’s hybrid bus line installs Siemens charging stations

Stockholm Public Transport (SL) has installed Siemens charging stations at each end of the electric hybrid bus route between Ropsten and the Karolinska Institute.

Siemens, together with Vattenfall have provided a system that can charge the lithium battery of an electric hybrid bus in only six minutes. Fully charged, the buses can operate seven kilometres on electric power while minimizing emissions and noise levels.

Andreas Regnell, Chief Strategy Officer for Vattenfall Nordic Region, commented: “Electricity is an important part of the solution in future transportation. Infrastructure for electrification is important for cleaner and quieter public transport. Vattenfall’s involvement in the project allows us to demonstrate the “fuel of the future” on an entire bus route.”

Sandra Gott-Karlbauer, CEO Siemens Business Unit Urban Transport added, “Electric hybrid buses and all-electric business will ensure that public transport bus fleets are increasingly eco-friendly. With our supercharging system, the buses can be quickly and simply supplied with energy.”

Route 73 will be operated with Volvo 7900 buses equipped with a 150-kW electric motor. The batteries will be charged by Siemens supercharging stations located at each end of the route. To start charging, the bus driver merely has to park the bus beneath the charging station, and a contact arm automatically swings down. When the arm contacts the bus, the automatic six-minute charging process begins. A fully charged electric hybrid bus can operate around seven kilometres.

In January 2015, Siemens and Volvo Buses signed a global agreement to deliver complete electrified bus systems to cities. In December 2014, Hamburg launched its ebus line with four Siemens supercharging stations for electric hybrid buses. In addition to Stockholm, Siemens will be installing a supercharging system in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in the course of 2015.