Volvo Buses is in the process of developing a plug-in hybrid that is capable of driving long distances silently and exhaust-free on electricity alone. Essentially it is the same Volvo hybrid bus as today, but with a new type of battery and charging equipment. It will also be possible to charge the battery via the electricity network, made possible by placing battery charging stations at the end stations of bus lines.

“Reducing the total global energy consumption is the most important measure today and in the future,” says Volvo Buses CEO Hakan Karlsson. “The bus is already today clearly the most energy-efficient vehicle for public transport and our hybrid bus will accentuate its position as the best environmental option,” he added.

The field test will commence in September 2012, but Volvo Buses does not know yet when the company will be able to offer this bus in the market. The buses will be tested in Gothenburg, Sweden, supported by the European Union.