Volvo 7700 Hybrid – a Natural Choice for Postauto SAFETY THAT FITS ALL
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OnA Customer Magazine The from Volvo Bus Corporation Move #1 2010 New 13-litre engine “Driving ability fantastic” Volvo 7700 Hybrid – A natural choice for PostAuto SAFETY THAT FITS ALL ALCOLOCKS ARE NOT ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE ASSEMBLY LINE. NOW YOU CAN EXTEND THIS SAFETY MEASURE TO YOUR ENTIRE FLEET. Specifically engineered to withstand dust, vibration and extreme temperatures, ALCOLOCK is compatible with all vehicles. AVAILABLE THROUGH THE VOLVO DEALER NETWORK As a leading producer of alcohol interlocks and breath alcohol testers, Alcohol Countermeasure Systems offers technology of superior quality. These custom solutions are fully integrated and designed to communicate with other systems in your fleet, such as GPS, GSM and telematics. • CENELEC (EU) approved • Compatible with all vehicles To learn more on how to integrate alcohol interlock technology into your vehicles please visit our website: acs-corp.com The Volvo Group has strong focus on buses The bus sector is one of the most inspiring but also one of 4. PostAuto in Switzerland the most demanding sectors in the automotive industry. find Volvo 7700 Hybrid most Buses must manage everything from intense city bus traffic suitable for rural traffic. for which there are major demands on speed, capacity and environmental friendliness, to the most luxurious coaches with high demands on safety, comfort and low fuel con- sumption. Succeeding as a major global player means that we must focus on the customer, and use our long experience of bus operation in six continents. Volvo Buses holds a unique position by belonging to a globally successful industrial 8. Bus operator Mikael Group with a distinct focus on buses and coaches. Hellberg likes the fuel effi- We operate as an independent bus division, which ciency and driving ability of means that we can satisfy local bus and coach requirements the new 13-litre engine. in our various markets by deploying the latest technology and through using volume advantages. At the Volvo Group, we jointly develop such features as engines, transmissions, new safety solutions and telematics. Base components are manufactured in large volumes, which lower costs. Collectively at the Group, we also have one of the world’s 10. For 34 years, Reg and largest networks of spare-part warehouses and workshops Yvonne Clark has run a very within which we develop bus centres. However, since Volvo successful bus enterprise Buses is a separate company, we have the ability to inde- in Queensland, Australia. pendently adapt all of that which is developed by the Volvo Volvo B12BLE is part of the Group into competitive solutions for the bus sector. success. In this issue of our customer magazine, you can read about several examples of this process. Our new 13-liter engine, for example, is the same base engine that has been successfully used by the Group’s truck company for several years. However, the version that is used in Volvo Buses’ vehicles is specifically adapted for coaches. The initial re action from customers is that we have managed to create 14. Volvo Buses in Denmark a high-performance engine with low fuel consumption. And has been very successful in as a result of Volvo’s joint hybrid solution, we are the first improving the aftermarket company in the world to mass-produce a hybrid bus with offer by training and edu- our own driveline. cation of mechanics. As President of Volvo Buses, I am proud of the opp- ortunity to manage a com- pany whose sole focus is on creating competitive transport solutions that surpass the intense demands in the global 18. Prior to the 2010 FIFA bus and coach sector. World Cup, several South African cities are investing in BRT systems Two of the three cities have selected Håkan Karlsson Volvo as its supplier of buses. President & CEO Volvo Bus Corporation Volvo Bussar AB Address ARHK6N, SE-405 08 Göteborg, Sweden Telephone +46 31 66 00 00 Fax +46 31 66 60 27 E-mail [email protected] Web www.volvo.se Produced by Roxx Media Sverige, www.roxx.se Publisher Per-Martin Johansson Project Manager Mikael Svensson Advertising sales Maria Sveed Photo Stefan Svensson, Tomaz Lundstedt, Per-Martin Johansson, Cassy Eather, Volvo Buses Editor Håkan Hellström Texts Håkan Hellström, Per-Martin Johansson, Samantha Lenton Ad originals Theresé Adolfsén Layout Daniel P Sandin Printer Printfabriken 2010/06 On The Move #1 2010 3 PostAuto operates the Volvo 7700 Hybrid on rural routes Most of PostAuto’s routes in Switzerland are in rural areas. The company has wanted to try hybrid technology, but had not seen any bus that was suitable for this type of traffic. “However, when Volvo presented its Volvo 7700 Hybrid, we immediately decided to purchase one,” says Werner Blatter, who is a member of executive management at PostAuto. Text & Photo Per-Martin Johansson Switzerland is a country of many sym- market are not adapted for this type with EU regulations but also often bols. One of the more powerful sym- of traffic. have domestic regulations that go one bols is the image of yellow post buses “However, as soon as Volvo Buses step further. For example, we imple- against a background of snowy Alps or presented its parallel hybrid in autumn mented a particle filter on our buses flowering fields. This image was cre- 2008 and announced that it was not already ten years ago.” ated from 1906, when PostAuto was only well suited for urban traffic but “If we can contribute to reducing founded. Today, it is the largest bus also for stops that were further apart, energy consumption and emissions of company in Switzerland, with more we did not hesitate to promptly order the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, than 2,000 buses in its fleet. a bus,” says Werner Blatter. and further reduce other hazardous “We regard our history fondly, but emissions by using hybrid technology, a bus company does not survive for Environmental model this will be entirely in line with the 100 years on nostalgia alone,” says He foresees two major advantages mandate given to us by politicians and Werner Blatter, Head of Logistics. “We with hybrid technology; improved fuel residents of Switzerland.” must constantly be innovative. economy and reduced environmental “As Switzerland’s largest bus com- impact. For PostAuto, the two are Naturally positive pany, we have a responsibility and the equally important. However, PostAuto also has profit- resources to lead the way in terms of “In many regards, Switzerland is a ability requirements. The company testing new solutions, particularly in model country in the environmental annually consumes 35 million liters the area of technology.” area,” says Werner Blatter. “Despite not of diesel and it would be important if being a member of the EU, we comply hybrid technology could contribute to No hesitation The company has closely monitored developments in the hybrid area, and “There are two major advantages with has seen evidence that hybrid buses hybrid technology; improved fuel economy can function well in congested urban traffic. However, PostAuto has most and reduced environmental impact” of its routes in rural areas and the Werner Blatter, Head of Logistics, PostAuto hybrids available in the European 4 On The Move #1 2010 reducing that cost. This is particularly ing ten to 20-year period. After which had the bus a few days but he and applicable since the price of diesel is we will probably have to identify solu- about 15 of his drivers had already ultimately expected to rise. tions in which we can manage without driven the new bus and the first “If hybrid technology can reduce diesel oil. Whether this turns out to impression was positive. fuel consumption by 20 to 30 percent, be hydrogen buses, electric buses or “It is not difficult to drive, but has it would naturally be positive,” says another solution is as yet un known.” to be driven somewhat differently, Werner Blatter. “However, we must slightly more gently, to really capitalize take into account such factors as the Regenerative capital on the regenerative brakes.” higher price of the bus and mainte- PostAuto has contracts with a con- nance costs. This is among the aspects siderable number of bus companies, Bigger savings than expected that we want to assess by operating the who operate routes independently. When Volvo Buses launched its hybrid first bus on our daily routes.” Steinerbus AG in Ortschwaben outside project, the company expected to He is convinced that the hybrid Bern will use the new Volvo 7700 reduce fuel consumption by up to 35 buses will ultimately comprise a major Hybrid. percent in congested urban traffic and share of bus fleets, although he does “It is incredibly exciting to be the by about 20 percent in exclusively not know the exact size of the share. first to have this new hybrid bus,” says inter-city traffic with stops that were However, he does not believe that this owner Dominik Steiner. “My drivers, far apart. However, the field tests that is the technology of the future. mechanics and I all enjoy testing new were conducted showed that inter-city “I view hybrid technology as a tran- technology and continuously learning.” traffic generates savings of as much as sitional solution for perhaps the com- At the time of writing, he had only about 25 percent. “We have only been driving it a few days to date, but initial calculations “initial calculations indicate that our fuel indicate that our fuel consumption consumption is about 25 percent lower than is about 25 percent lower than with normal diesel buses,” says Dominik with normal diesel buses” Steiner. “If we can maintain this level, Dominik Steiner, owner of Steinerbus AG it would be very positive.” On The Move #1 2010 5 Sikkens Autocoat BT: the shortcut to paintshop profitability Our high performance, cost saving, VOC compliant system AKZO NOBEL CAR REFINISHES www.sikkenscv.com More substantial fuel savings than anticipated The first of Volvo’s hybrid The buses currently in service have recycled.