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Istanbul opens the Fairs season at the end of April.
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Exhibition in Paris in June.
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The f5 is Midibus of the year in Spain.
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Latest models with Euro VI engines.
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New Crossway Pro’s qualities.
April 23, 2012 - Solaris hybrid buses for Switzerland and Finland
Solaris will deliver more hybrid buses to European countries. Seven Urbino 18 Hybrid articulated vehicles have been commissioned by TRN (Transport Régionaux Neuchâtelois), the operator of transport services in the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, located 1,000 meters above sea level and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009. They will be in service by next summer. The vehicles are equipped with the Allison Transmission-supplied hybrid system, which combines the electric motor delivering a total of 150 kW with the 181 kW Cummins diesel engine; it also makes use of the energy recovered during braking. Two Urbino Hybrid buses, but this time in the 12 meters size, have been ordered by TKL (Tampere's Tampereen Kaupunkiliikenne) in Tampere, a city in Western Finland. These buses have a parallel hybrid system provided by Eaton with 44 kW electric engine combined with a Cummins diesel engine, meeting EEV emission standards. They are equipped with a six-speed automated gearbox contained in the hybrid drive unit. Batteries are lithium-ion. The two buses will be delivered by the end of 2012.
April 17, 2012 - Great success in the UK for Volvo hybrid buses
184 hybrid buses with Volvo technologies have been ordered in UK. This goes to confirm the big success of hybrid solutions offered by the Swedish manufacturer. This figure is also due to the funds for environmentally-friendly buses (Green Bus Fund) sponsored by the British Government. Most of these buses are Volvo B5LH hybrid double deckers featuring the stylish Wrightbus Gemini 2 bodywork. Of the 184 vehicles ordered, the most important supply is intended to Arriva, with 77 Volvo B5LH hybrid double-deckers (another 45 are already in service). Other significant commissions include: Go Ahead's order of 45 buses in various versions and First Group’s order of 29 hybrid buses of the 7900 series.
April 16, 2012 - Irisbus Arway for Ferrotramviaria in Bari
Ferrotramviaria, a company operating with the public transport concession for railway and road services in the local territory of Bari since 1937, acquired five new intercity buses. The recent delivery consists of Irisbus Arway vehicles of 12 meters with Cursor 8 engine of 380 hp, EEV standard compliant, Voith 864.5 automatic transmission and a brake system inclusive of ABS and ASR. This model fits 53 seated passengers and is equipped with velvet covered reclining seats, wheelchair's platform and lift and an air conditioning system with separate controls for driver and passenger’s areas. Each door is equipped with a camera to monitor the flow of passengers. The five Arway buses have different exterior colors compared to the rest of the fleet, a way to communicate to passengers the company’s intent to renew.
April 11, 2012 - VDO’s smart keys
It’s not just a USB memory stick. The new set of Downloadkey Pro by VDO, created for the download of data from digital tachographs, incorporates a 2.2-inch touch-screen color display, a chip card reader and the software for data evaluation, all in one single device. This way data can be analyzed directly on the key, while data transfer, recording and transmission are handled by a pre-installed software (available in 29 languages). Also, the new 'Reminder' feature notifies drivers when data download is due. The Downloadkey Pro is equipped with rechargeable batteries and a memory to record up to 6,000 quarterly downloads. In order to meet different users’ needs, from small owners to managers of medium and large fleets, there are several versions available.
April 11, 2012 – Alè electric buses heading to Vienna
Italian company Rampini, in consortium with Siemens, won a tender for the supply of 12 Alè electric buses to Wiener Linien, the company that manages public transportation in Vienna. Deliveries will start next September and will end in July 2013. The Alè electric bus model designated to Vienna will have some peculiar and innovative features. It will be equipped with a pantograph for battery recharging at terminal stops, directly from aerial power lines of trams, thus increasing the autonomy of the vehicle in covering any service needs and allowing the use of a fully electric air conditioning system (hot/cold).
April 11, 2012 – Electric Doruk by Otokar at Istanbul Busworld
Electric bus Doruk Electra will make its official debut next week at Busworld in Istanbul. It's a medium size vehicle known in European markets with the name of Vectio, and at the moment it’s available only in the diesel traction version. Doruk is equipped with lithium-iron-magnesium phosphate batteries that guarantee a range of 170 km in urban conditions, without a drop in performance (the maximum range is 280 kilometers). The autonomy can be increased by 30-40 percent by using the on-board battery charger. All of its features will be revealed in Istanbul.
April 11, 2012 - Large order from Sweden for VDL
The city of Stockholm is renewing its bus fleet. The Arriva Group signed a contract with VDL Bus & Coach for the supply of 77 vehicles. The commission consists of Citea XLE low entry version (class II) models in the lengths of 13.7 and 14.5 meters. These vehicles will begin service in January 2013. This is the largest order ever for the Dutch manufacturer in the Swedish market. But there's more. Arriva placed another order to VDL Bus & Coach, for the refurbishment of 85 articulated buses that will start service between August 2012 and January 2013, also in Stockholm.
April 10, 2012 - Design award for Neoplan Skyliner
After the debut of the new series at Busworld Kortrijk last Autunm, the Neoplan Skyliner won the 'Red Dot Design Award'. It’s a prestigious international award dedicated to design, for which a jury of thirty experts assessed 4,500 designs from 58 countries. The award ceremony will take place in Essen (Germany) on July 2, 2012. This year Skyliner’s award brings up to eight the total number of Red Dot Design Awards honoured to Neoplan and Man models. In spite of its size (14m long and 4m high), the Skyliner’s form, function and ergonomics result in a harmonious design. Thanks to its clear lines and angled edges of glass and steel surfaces and to a pronounced aerodynamics, whose drag coefficient is as low as 0.41. This is a record value in the double-decker coach category, comparable to the value of a middle class van.
March 21, 2012 - Science and technology at Fiat Industrial Village
Until May 20th the Fiat Industrial Village (Turin, Italy) is hosting the show "Machines, Inventions, Discoveries. Science and technology in Turin and in Piedmont between '800 and '900". Curated by the ECM Foundation (Experience of Metropolitan Culture), the exhibit features items for first time on display for public viewing. These are documents and objects belonging to universities or private collections, including the Fiat Historic Archive. At the gallery of Fiat Industrial Village visitors can see: the Sommelier drill used for excavating the Frejus tunnel, the first flight simulator, the hypobaric bell by Angelo Mosso, the nineteenth-century models of wood bridges Isabella and Moscow, the first Olivetti M1 typewriter. Fiat itself provides testimony to its role in the history of the city of Turin by displaying its vehicles and technologies, including the historic 15 Ter truck and the Type 2 car bodied by Landaulet.
March 21, 2012 - Neoplan airport buses by Viseon for Moscow
Two of the three Moscow airports bought Apron Neoplan buses from Viseon, the licensed manufacturer of Neoplan airport buses. They are 17 vehicles of the N9122L series, manufactured at the Pilsting factory (lower Bavaria) like all the Viseon buses. With a lenght of 14.72 meters and a width of 3.17, they are largest of the five different Neoplan models. Three are the large doors for each side and up to 137 the passengers on board. The engine is the 6.9-liter Man D 0836 LOH from 220 hp, front-mounted and coupled to the automatic three-speed Voith Diwa D851.3E. A dozen the buses delivered to the Vnukovo airport, one of the most ancient and modern of Moscow at the same time, while the other seven will be delivered in the next few weeks to the Domodedovo International Airport, the largest in Russia in terms of passengers and freight movements.
March 18, 2012 - 2011 for VDL Group
The combined turnover of VDL Group rose by 17% to €1.719 billion in 2011.This progress, however, did not regard the bus compartment. The overall income raise of the Dutch group is due to the semiconductor, LED and solar energy markets with a turnover of 918 million Euros for a growth of 22 percent, but even more it is due to the finished products division (396 million, +34 percent). In the bus segment, however, the turnover dropped (only slightly) from 426 million to 405 (-5 percent). The passenger transport market is difficult because it is still heavily affected by the crisis. The VDL order portfolio for 2012 remains stable (at about 200 million) and the company expects the buses & coaches division to improve compared to 2011.
March 14, 2012 - New Solaris orders from Lithuania
Fleet renewal with an eye on the environment with Solaris buses. This is the choice of two bus operators based in Lithuania. Kauno Autobusai, passenger transport company based in Kaunas (Lithuania's second largest city), focused on biogas-powered vehicles. They are 24 Urbino buses of 12 meters, powered by Cng engine and they will be on service by the end of April 2012. Panevezio Autobusų Parkas, a bus operator based in Panevezys, instead opted for diesel-electric technology with the Solaris Urbino 12 Hybrid, a vehicle equipped with a parallel hybrid system by Eaton. Six units have been commissioned and they will be the first hybrid-drive on Lithuanian roads.
bustocoach@bustocoach.com
