Scania has said that it is to start field tests of battery-powered buses in Östersund, north Sweden. By the end of the current year three Scania Citywide LF buses will be in operation; a further three buses will be added in 2019. As part of the package two new charging stations will be built in Östersund to charge the buses at both ends of the 14 kilometre bus route. Just ten minutes' charging is required, and the buses will run every 15 minutes, clocking up 100 journeys daily.
Elsewhere, the Australian airport ground transportation provider, Carbridge, has placed an order for 40 electric buses, which will be manufactured by BYD in China. The contract was signed at the end of last month, following on from the success of the BYD Electric Blu bus that was introduced at Sydney airport in 2016. The bus can take up to 70 passengers and should be able to run for around 400 kilometres on a single charge. It has been calculated that the current fleet of electric buses at Sydney airport ought to lower carbon emissions by some 160 tonnes a year, whilst reducing waste fluids and noise levels.
