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Environment in focus: 15 new Volvo hybrid buses for Hamburger Hochbahn AG

Hamburger Hochbahn AG has taken delivery of 15 environmentally friendly, low-floor, parallel hybrid buses of model Volvo 7900 H 4x2. The handover took place in the scope of the 2013 International Garden Show at the IGS grounds in Hamburg.
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Håkan Agnevall, President of Volvo Bus Corporation (VBC), handed over the buses to Günter Elste, Chairman of the Board of HOCHBAHN, under the motto “Making southern Hamburg greener!”.

 

The buses will be immediately commissioned at the subsidiaries Friedr. Jasper Rund- und Gesellschaftsfahrten GmbH and Süderelbe Bus GmbH (SBG) and will mainly impact southern Hamburg.

 

“The bus of the future runs without any emissions,” emphasized Günter Elste in his speech. “With the more environmentally friendly hybrid buses from Volvo, we are working together with the manufacturer and politicians towards Hamburg’s expressed goal of only acquiring emission-free buses as of 2020.”

 

Håkan Agnevall sees the 15 hybrid buses as a basis for long-term, trusting cooperation with the HOCHBAHN Group:

 

“We are proud that HOCHBAHN chose us as its partner for the electric transportation future of Hamburg. These 15 hybrid vehicles show that the ‘Green Efficiency’ strategy of Volvo Buses is successful and meets the complex requirements of cities, bus operators and passengers equally.”

 

With the HOCHBAHN order, Volvo Buses has made a major step closer to its goal as it, as number two on the global ranking list of manufacturers, now also takes the lead in Germany in the introduction of environmentally friendly bus technology. To justify this leading role, the Swedish bus manufacturer offers not only environmentally friendly vehicle concepts, but also complete system solutions. This additional offering as a systems provider encompasses the installation of infrastructure and charging stations as well as supplemental service offerings such as battery and maintenance contracts, telematic services and an extensive fleet management portfolio.

Ten of the dual-axle 12-meter hybrid buses Volvo 7900 H will be commissioned at Jasper and the
other five buses will operate at SBG. They will be fully integrated into regular scheduled services. Air conditioning is also standard as well as easy access through two 1,350 mm wide, inward gliding doors and kneeling on the entire entrance side. The EBS 5 electronic braking system provides safety with pneumatic disc brakes, a pedal-operated retarder, brake assistant, bus-stop brake and starting prevention devices, as well as halogen headlights and water-cooled, maintenance-free lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries. A 10-year battery maintenance contract regulates continuous inspection and ensures the operational readiness of these hybrid buses.

 

Hamburger Hochbahn AG, one of the largest public transport operators in Germany, is a forerunner in the introduction of alternative drive technologies. The express goal of HOCHBAHN is to only acquire emission-free buses beginning in 2020. Consequently, Hamburg has already taken a leading role in the introduction of pioneering solutions for the formation of the public transport of the future.

 

 

 

Picture 1 caption: 15 Volvo 7900 H 4x2 were delivered to Hamburger Hochbahn AG on August 5, 2013. (Copyright: Marc-Oliver Schulz).

 

Picture caption: Delivery of Volvo hybrid buses to Hamburger HOCHBAHN. From left to right: Frank Horch, Senator of the Departmental Authority for Economic Affairs, Transport and Innovation; Håkan Agnevall, President of Volvo Bus Corporation, Günter Elste, Chairman of the Board of HOCHBAHN; Mathias Samson, Section Head from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. (Copyright: Marc-Oliver Schulz).