* Belgium - Bi-articulated buses for Brisbane
--- Van Hool NV from Belgium, or Carrosserie Hess AG from Switzerland, electric-powered buses almost 30 metres long, could move Brisbane commuters in the new "metro" service announced by Brisbane City Council recently. "It is new-generation buses that would shift the people"... They are called "bi-articulated" buses and are common throughout Europe and South America (wheter are known as "bandoneon-buses")... The plans are to have a bus available every three minutes on two new routes which are particularly created for these buses... They would look like modern "bi-articulated buses" with three passenger sections and two rubber-lined joints, with the driver sitting in the front section. The Council is still reluctant to call them buses, arguing that while they would have rubber tyres, they would operate more like trams...
(Photo: Van Hool NV Carrosserie Hess AG Electric-powered buses) -- Koningshooikt, Belgium / Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - Busworld - 10 MAR 2017
* Italy - IVECO to supply 120 hybrid articulated buses to Milan
--- Italian bus and truck manufacturer Iveco will be supplying 120 new 18-metre articulated hybrid buses to Milan public transport operator ATM... The model auppled by Iveco is the Urbanway Hybrid, which was developed by the company to significantly reduce emissions and fuel consumption while ensuring increasingly-sustainable mobility for the community it serves. The Urbanway Hybrid consumes up to 30% less fuel than conventional buses, with reductions of 33% and 40% in CO2 and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions per kilometre respectively, compared with diesel buses... According to Iveco, the new vehicle combines an electric traction system with a Euro VI internal combustion engine and a latest-generation lithium-ion battery pack. The “Arrive & Go” function (a smart power management system) permits 100% electric operation with zero emissions when approaching and leaving bus stops, even where significant distances are involved... Another advantage of the Urbanway Hybrid is its complete silence, said the statement... All vehicles included in the contract are equipped with series-hybrid systems comprising a 175 (peak)/120 kW (continuous mode) electric motor and a 210kW Tector internal combustion engine...
(Photo An Iveco Bus) -- Milan, Italy - Busworld - 2 March 2017Labels: articulated buses, busmakers news Europe, metro style bus systems, public transport Australia
