ABB will help deliver a sustainable public transport solution for Northern Norway which will reduce emissions by almost 2,200 metric tons of CO2 per year, corresponding to emissions from around 1,200 passenger cars.
Initiated by Nordland County Municipality, the initiative will restructure the county municipal transport services for buses and ferries, with city bus lines in Bodø only to be served by battery-electric buses from July 1, 2021.
The move supports Norway's target of a 50 to 55 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
“The transition to electric buses will substantially reduce emissions from public transport,” says Bent-Joacim Bentzen, county councilor for transport in Nordland county municipality.
According to calculations by the consulting company Rambøll, the emission savings will correspond to 1,200 diesel cars, or a reduction of almost one million liters of diesel annually. In addition, the electric buses will have a major impact on the urban environment such as reduced noise level.
“This is the largest sustainability project in road transport in northern Norway. It is important for both the region and us,” says Anders Mjaaland, managing director of the Saltens Group, owner of Nordlandsbuss, running the routes from next summer.
Volvo will deliver 31 electric buses, 17 12-meter Volvo Electric 7900 and 14 18.7-meter Volvo Electric 7900 articulated buses. They are equipped with battery packs of 264 kWh and 330 kWh, respectively.
“This is Volvo Norway's largest single order to date for electric buses and at the same time our first order for an electric articulated bus,“ says Svenn-Åge Løkken, marketing director for buses at Volvo Norway.
Charging stations from ABB will be set up in the first half of 2021. The electric buses will be charged with 450 kW pantographs, a modular solution for high-power charging of heavy vehicles. Chargers use the standard OppCharge, an open interface for bus charging, which offers charging via automatic roof connection.
“This is another important contribution to the green transport revolution. It shows that electrification of road transport in cool, Arctic areas is a viable solution,” says Gøran Salomonsen, managing director of ABB Electrification Norway AS.
The buses can be charged in three to six minutes at charging stations along the lines. ABB's chargers, part of the ABB Ability™ offering of digital solutions and services across all business areas, deliver web-enabled connectivity that allows network operators to perform remote monitoring and configuration of charge points, minimize downtime and increase efficiency.
ABB is a world leader in electric vehicle infrastructure, offering the full range of charging and electrification solutions for electric cars, electric and hybrid buses as well as for ships and railways. ABB entered the EV-charging market back in 2010, and today has sold more than 14,000 ABB DC fast chargers across over 80 countries. ABB recently received the Global E-mobility Leader 2019 award for its role in supporting the international adoption of sustainable transport solutions.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com
