Buses World News: April 2017

NAVYA' DRIVERLESS BUSES * France - Tested in Japan

* Lyon - NAVYA plans to test self-driving bus in Japan

--- The French electric vehicle startup, Navya, is aiming to bring its driverless bus to sites such as shopping centers, airports and university campuses in Japan, with the intention of delivering low-speed shuttle services that would run along fixed routes... In 2015, Navya completed manufacturing of its driverless bus, which can travel at a maximum speed of 45 kilometers per hour and carry up to 15 passengers. Currently, there are 30 Navya self-driving buses operating in a total of 7 countries, including France, the U.S. and Switzerland. With regard to the Japanese market, a SoftBank subsidiary has bought two buses from Navya, and plans to test them out in Japan this spring... In the case of Navya, once the fixed route has been mastered by an operator during a test run, the driverless bus will then remember the exact route. In the event that an unexpected object does suddenly obstruct the route of the bus, the vehicle will pick up on this using its sensors, and an automatic brake will be applied... With relatively low development costs, Navya plans to offer its self-driving bus service at a total cost of about 40,000 euros per year (approximately 4.8 million yen). The company is expecting global demand for tens of thousands of its self-driving buses... In Japan, one company making considerable progress in the field of driverless vehicles is DeNA Co. In August 2016, the company tested out a driverless bus service in a park in Chiba -- together with the French venture company EasyMile -- transporting approximately 1,600 passengers. Looking ahead, DeNA aims to introduce a driverless bus service at Kyushu University's Ito campus in Fukuoka during the first half of fiscal 2018...
Lyon, France - Busworld.org (Belgium) - 17 MAR 2017

Labels: driverless buses

HYDROGEN FUELED BUSES * Ireland

* Dublin - How a British bus operator leads the way down the hydrogen highway

... Hydrogen is still discussed in the future tense. It’s often referred to as the most realistic long-term replacement for fossil fuels, because tailpipe emissions are nothing but water and you fuel and run the vehicle in the same fashion as a petrol or diesel vehicle. However, there are still some challenges that will need to be overcome – the cost of the infrastructure, price and availability of vehicles and where and how you refuel... The city of Aberdeen has proved hydrogen a viable prospect for buses, though. It launched the H2 hydrogen bus project in March 2015, comprising 10 vehicles – the largest hydrogen bus fleet in Europe... The introduction of hydrogen buses necessitated additional training for the drivers, but despite having to get their heads around the new technology, they’re still fans... The transition has been easier for passengers. Travellers enjoy the refinement of hydrogen buses...

(Photo: A hydrogen filling station in Kittybrewster, just north of the city centre of Aberdeen)
... Buses aren’t the only hydrogen powered vehicles in the city, as the council is currently trialling a pair of Hyundai iX35 fuel cell cars, supplied by the CoWheels car club. The vehicles will soon be available for public hire and another two will be added to the fleet and made available for businesses to lease before the end of 2017...
Dublin, Ireland - Transport Parts, by Padraic Deane - March 29, 2017

Labels: hydrogen fueled buses, passengers transport industry Europe

VOLVO BUSES * India: Sale 100 vehicles to BMTC

* Karnakata - Volvo to deliver hundred city buses to Bangalore

--- Volvo Buses has received an order for 100 city buses from the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). The buses of the typd 8400 are in compliance with the UBS-II emission level and the BSIV emission rules. The locally manufactured Volvo D8C engine’s coupled to a 6-speed automatic transmission with integrated retarder and optimised rear axle ratio delivers high performance required in the city’s frequent start-stop traffic.. The engine supplies a peak power of 330hp in order to meet optimal power-to-weight ratio and ensure reserve power, which is critical to meet three areas for good city duty cycle – instant acceleration, air-conditioning performance, and gradeability...
(Photo: A bus by the Division of Volvo India Pvt. Ltd) -- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India - Busworld - 23 MAR 2017

Labels: busmakers news India, passengers transport industry India

BYD China * Europe: To build a factory in France

* Hauts-de-France - BYD to invest €10M in electric bus assembly in Beauvais

--- BYD Europe BV At a recent press conference in Beauvais, announced the Chinese group's decision to invest €10 million in a site in the town of Allonne, near Beauvais, in Hauts-de-France, intended to create an assembly factory for Europe... The project calls for around 100 jobs to be created in the initial phase. The production facility will occupy 32,000 sq m of a parcel totaling nearly 80,000 sq m, and will assemble up to 200 vehicles a year - single-deck buses and coaches - in its first phase. Other vehicles may be added as BYD expands its product line... Production is scheduled to get underway in the first half of 2018... BYD Europe, chose France because it has Europe's largest bus market...
(Photo: A twin- bus Pure Electric, by BYD) -- Schiedam, The Netherlands - Busworld - 24 MAR 2017

Labels: busmakers news China, busmakers news Europe, passengers transport industry