Volvo in partnership with body builder Volgren has announced that it has handed over the 50th Volgren hybrid bus as part of its supply agreement with ComfortDelGro Corporation to meet the demand for the buses on a variety of Victorian routes.
The delivery of the 50th bus comes following the delivery of the first Volvo Volgren Hybrid in 2019 the Volvo B5L S-Charge Hybrid went into service for subsidiary CDC Victoria.
Volvo said that the 50th Hybrid bus for CDC Victoria not only marks a milestone for all partners involved, but it also completes Australia’s largest hybrid bus fleet. This fleet is operating on Melbourne streets, delivering reductions in emissions, noise and fuel consumption while improving the passenger experience, the company said.
Volvo said that CDC Victoria’s Volvo Volgren B5L S-Charge hybrid buses have been designed to handle Victoria’s dense and demanding city traffic while enabling fuel savings of around 30 per cent and reducing climate-impacting carbon dioxide emissions by around 30 per cent compared to regular diesel buses.
The vehicles are fitted with Volvo’s Zone Management technology, which allows the buses to implement Safety Zones on particular routes as well as achieving zero emissions in designated zones by operating exclusively in electric mode. The company said that the system has optimised CDC’s existing hybrid buses, elevating the fleet to the next level of performance without relying on the electricity grid.
CDC Victoria’s CEO, Jeff Wilson, said the completion of the Melbourne hybrid fleet is a significant milestone in the company’s quest for reducing emissions.
“CDC is committed to reducing greenhouse emissions and we have demonstrated this through investment and ongoing research into the available and developing technologies which can help us with our environmental goals and assisting governments with achieving net zero emissions by 2050,” Wilson said.
“The ready-for-use nature of Volvo’s hybrid technology has meant the hybrid bus fleet is already helping us to fulfil our goal of providing tangible environmental benefits while delivering our services without the need for major infrastructure changes.
“Receiving this 50th unit is also an exciting stepping-stone for CDC, as we are preparing to deploy eight new Volvo Volgren BZL Electric units progressively from November this year, as part of the Victorian ZEB trial,” he said.
Volvo Bus Australia’s General Manager, Mitch Peden, said it was a proud moment to witness the handover of the 50th unit and a pivotal milestone in CDC Victoria’s electromobility journey.
“We have been very fortunate to work alongside CDC Victoria and Volgren over the years and it’s an absolute honour see this major electromobility milestone for CDC, which is integral to Victoria’s transition to zero-emissions public transport,” said Peden.
