Scania, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles and engines, says it will deliver 51 hybridized buses in Madrid, beginning in June. According to the company, these buses feature cost-saving and emissions-reducing hybrid technology that meets the EU suburban and short-distance Class II regulations.
Scania says the 51 buses will be put in service by seven operators on behalf of Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid, which is responsible for public transport in the Madrid Region. The first operator will be Alsa (Nat-Ex), followed by Samar, Avanza (ADO) and DBlas (Arriva). The total order encompasses 34 12.7-meter, 4×2 buses and 17 14.8-meter 6×2*4 buses.
The new Class II Scania Citywide bus can be operated at speeds of up to 100 km/h. According to the company, the hybrid powertrain includes the Scania 9-liter engine and offers 320 hp with SCR-only technology that is compatible with up to 100% biodiesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil.
“This bus is ideally suited for combined city and suburban operations,” says Klas Dahlberg, head of Scania’s buses and coaches. “That gives customers the opportunity to invest in carbon-saving operations with an estimated payback of just over five years, including battery replacements during the life span. By comparison, payback is some two years later in purely inner-city operations.”
On the Citywide buses, the hybrid unit, comprising an electric machine (motor and generator) and automatic clutch, is located between the engine and gearbox. The electric machine is rated at 150 kW and 1,050 Nm, Scania says.
A total of 1.2 kWh of energy storage is provided by a lithium-ion battery integrated in the roof structure at the front of the bus and is housed in a neatly styled bulb together with a DC/DC voltage converter and a cooling unit. Scania says that the use of a hybrid system together with a DC/DC converter, stop-start function and eco-roll provides significant fuel savings.
