Volvo Buses has received an order for 57 gas buses from Nobina in Malmö, Sweden. The buses can operate on both natural gas and biogas and contribute to reducing the environmental impact.
The order pertains to the Volvo 7700 city bus, 14 of the 12-meter bus and 43 of the 18-meter articulated bus. The buses shall be delivered in time to enter service on March 1, 2011.
“Volvo’s gas engine is a nine-liter engine that has all the power required to provide excellent driving properties, also in the larger articulated buses,” says Martin Spjern, Head of Volvo Buses’ Swedish operations.
Volvo’s gas buses can be driven on both natural gas and biogas. Using biogas reduces emissions of the greenhouse gas, carbondioxide, by about 90%, compared with a diesel bus.
Volvo’s gas engine for Euro V is a 9.4-liter in-line six-cylinder engine with a one-piece cylinder head, overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder.
The engine is equipped with lambda sensors, where the mixture between air and fuel is optimal at any given time. The sophisticated technology that controls the engine also measures the quality of the gas fuel and adapts combustion accordingly and this applies to both natural gas and biogas. It must always be possible for operators to obtain the effect promised regardless of the quality of the gas.
Gas-engine technology could generate major environmental gains but is more complicated than diesel engine technology and requires careful maintenance.
“However, our customers have precisely the same need for availability regardless of the type of fuel in the bus,” says Martin Spjern. “Consequently, when we developed the Euro V version of our gas-operated engine, we implemented several measures in the engine to ensure that customers receive buses with the highest possible reliability.”
Measures include changes to the injection system and an upgrade of the turbo system.
