The Volvo hybrids will be part of a city bus pilot in Navi Mumbai starting in the first half of 2016.
01 Dec 2015 | 8180 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Volvo is set to introduce its hybrid technology in India. The first Volvo hybrid city bus pilot will start in Navi Mumbai with Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), a major transportation service in Navi Mumbai and its surrounding areas and cities. The Volvo hybrids will be manufactured in the company’s ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
Volvo is set to introduce its hybrid technology in India. The first Volvo hybrid city bus pilot will start in Navi Mumbai with Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), a major transportation service in Navi Mumbai and its surrounding areas and cities. The Volvo hybrids will be manufactured in the company’s facility in Bangalore.
To promote environmentally-friendly vehicles, the Indian government has recently launched the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India) scheme, offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles.
“Volvo has a leading position in hybrid technology and electromobility. Hybrid buses are an important solution for cities that want to reduce vehicle emissions. I am very proud that Volvo is the first bus manufacturer to introduce hybrid buses in India,” said Håkan Agnevall, president, Volvo Buses.
“The unveiling of the first Volvo hybrid city bus in India is contextual given the impetus from the central government to popularise public transport, while supporting the adoption of clean technology. Volvo has played a key role in redefining urban commute for millions of passengers in Indian cities. Now, with the Volvo hybrid city bus we are confident of transforming the public transport landscape further, by inspiring more cities to adopt this solution,” said Akash Passey, senior vice president, Region International, Volvo Buses.
Volvo is a leader in hybrid technology with more than 2,300 hybrid buses sold to over 20 countries. The Volvo hybrids offer a fuel consumption which is up to 39 percent lower than that of regular diesel buses, which in turn cuts carbon dioxide emissions by the same amount and nitrogen oxides and particles by 50 percent.
The electric hybrids, offering fuel savings of 75 percent, are running in regular traffic in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Hamburg. In June 2015, bus route 55 was opened in Gothenburg, served by three all-electric buses and seven electric hybrids from Volvo Buses. In all, Volvo has sold more than 5,000 hybrids and full electric buses worldwide.
Since 2001, the company has sold over 5,300 buses in India and has about 1,500 city buses operating in 34 Indian cities.
More from Volvo: Company looks to retain dominance in mining sector, launches two multi-axle dump trucks