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Volvo starts tests of 7900 electric bus in Chile

The Next Stop Will Be In Colombia

04 March 2022

In an event where the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications Gloria Hutt participated, who participated in the presentation of the electric bus model 7900 of the Volvo brand, which will begin a testing period with the operator Redbus. This route provides services to users of the communes of Huechuraba, Recoleta, Providencia and Las Condes. Volvo’s executives, Redbus representatives and a group of fans participated in the event.

The management, requested during the last quarter of 2021 by the Redbus Urbano company to the Undersecretary of Transport, had the approval of the authority in order to facilitate the conditions for service operators to make proposals to improve services and test new technologies that allow users to access greater conditions of comfort, modernity and safety in the public system at the same time that due analyzes and performance evaluations are carried out on the machines that, eventually, could be added to the operators’ fleets.

The commercial director of Volvo Chile, José Antonio Margalet, stated that “we are tremendously proud of having brought the first electric bus with a European standard to the country. This 100% electric Volvo vehicle stands out for being a bus that ensures clean, quiet and efficient public transport, in addition to contributing to the country’s sustainability.

This vehicle incorporates the concept of “zero zones”, that is, it helps cities to become cities with zero emissions and zero noise, complying with the strictest restrictions in this area. It also has automated technologies, such as remote speed control, which enables “safety zones” on the routes to ensure the passage of the bus at a controlled speed in front of points of risk such as schools and hospitals, in addition to the pedestrian detection, which can increase the overall safety of urban traffic”.

Henri Rohard, commercial manager of Redbus stated “we are happy to be able to continue testing new models of electric buses for the public transport system in Santiago. Our objective with these pilots is to continue expanding and enriching the possible products for the market. These types of pilots open up the field of possibilities, both for the number of suppliers and for designs and technologies. There is strong interest from electric bus providers and providers of technologies associated with this type of motorization in the Chilean market,” the executive said.

The electric Volvo Urbano bus has a total length of 12 meters, a width of 2.55 meters and a height of 3.3 meters. It has an electric motor with a maximum power of 200 kW, a 2-speed Volvo I-Shift automated gearbox, a maximum torque of 19,000 Nm, an energy storage system with lithium-ion batteries, with an expected average operating range of 250 kms., heating and air conditioning and automatic temperature control of batteries.