Scania supplies Stockholm's new blue ethanol-powered buses

N98051SE/Marcela Petkov 29 August 1998 Scania supplies Stockholm's new blue ethanol-powered buses Scania continues its focus on ethanol-powered buses. When the new bus network is inaugurated officially on Saturday, Scania will be playing a prominent role with the delivery of 40 blue articulated buses. Environmental optimisation has been at the forefront in the choice of both fuel and materials. Scania has delivered 40 city buses from the new OmniCity range to the Greater Stockholm Public Transport Authority (SL). These low-floor buses are powered by ethanol, which means that emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates are considerably lower than for corresponding diesel buses - approximately half in both cases. The way Scania sees it, the only way to achieve the lowest possible environmental impact during a vehicle's entire lifetime is to integrate environmental consideration as an essential engineering parameter from the initial development stage itself. This approach is reflected clearly in such aspects as the choice of materials used to build the OmniCity. The body is made largely of aluminium, plastic and fibreglass. The use of these materials alone has brought about a weight reduction of just over half a tonne. This in turn means a corresponding increase in passenger capacity, drop in fuel consumption and reduction in operating costs. Aluminium is a corrosion-resistant material which is easy to work with and easy to repair. Furthermore, it commands a premium on the market for recycled materials since it can be used and reused many times over without any loss in material quality. The plastics used in the OmniCity buses are marked to aid subsequent sorting and recycling. Scania, one of the largest suppliers of ethanol-powered buses in the world, notes an increasing demand for buses running on alternative fuels. Buses running on alternative fuels account for about 13 per cent of Scania's city- bus sales. "This order represents a major success for Scania," says Leif Nyström, Marketing Director Scania Buses and Coaches. "It confirms that our concept for city buses - offering a good combination of transport economy and environmental performance - has been well-received by our customers." Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. With 23,800 employees and production facilities in Europe and Latin America, Scania is one of the most profitable companies in its sector. In 1997, turnover totalled SEK 39,700 million and income after financial items SEK 2,800 million. Scania products are marketed in about 100 countries worldwide and approximately 95% of total production is sold outside Sweden. For further information, please contact Gunnar Boman, phone +46 70 550 8606. Scania press releases are available on the Internet, www.scania.com.