Scania’s latest and cleanest ethanol buses have their world première in Stockholm traffic
Scania is now delivering the first 10 buses featuring its third generation ethanol engines to Busslink, which is responsible for bus traffic in central Stockholm on behalf of Stockholm Transport (SL). Compared to a city bus run on diesel fuel, an ethanol bus reduces fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 per cent.
SL is continuing its pioneering work on the use of renewable fuels in public transport, which it started in the late 1980s. For the past several years, public transport buses in central Stockholm have only run on ethanol or biogas. Most of these, as well as many suburban public transport buses around the Swedish capital, are Scania ethanol buses (some 400 in all). SL has decided to buy only buses that operate on renewable fuels from 2010 onward.
The transport company Busslink has more than 15 years’ experience of ethanol buses and today has a fleet of 330 ethanol buses in operation.
“The ethanol buses contribute strongly to lower emissions from public transport in Stockholm. They are also an economically viable alternative to diesel buses in terms of operating cost and reliability,” said Per Wikström, Vice President and Environmental Director of Busslink, in conjunction with the presentation of the keys to the first bus.
Scania has nearly 20 years’ experience of ethanol buses in practical operation. A total of 600 ethanol buses have been supplied to Swedish cities and there is heavy interest from other cities worldwide. Scania is now introducing its third generation of ethanol engines, which are also being adapted for use in distribution trucks. Compared to a conventional diesel engine, emissions of fossil carbon dioxide are reduced up to 90 per cent when running on ethanol produced from sugar cane, for example.
Today Scania’s new ethanol engines already meet the European Union’s Euro 5 emission standards − which become mandatory in 2009 − and the even tighter EEV standards without exhaust aftertreatment. Their technology is based on exhaust gas recirculation (EGR).
The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) (www.clintonfoundation.org) regards Scania’s ethanol-powered buses as one of the best available solutions for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from urban traffic. In this respect, the public transport system in Stockholm is seen as a model for the rest of the 40 cities that cooperate within the framework of CCI.
Scania is also the first commercial vehicle manufacturer whose diesel engines achieve Euro 5 without exhaust aftertreatment. This is the result of a number of new, groundbreaking technologies, including a new fuel injection system, which Scania uses to control performance and fuel efficiency.
For further information, contact
- Hans-Åke Danielsson, Press Manager,
tel. +46 705371619, e-mail hans-ake.danielsson@scania.com
- Fredrik Morsing, Director Alternative Fuels, Buses and Coaches,
tel. +46 76 1272711, e-mail fredrik.morsing@scania.com
