Scania Testing Ethanol-fueled Hybrid Buses in Stockholm

In an effort to improve the environment in the Swedish capital, manufacturer of buses, Scania announced that it is starting full-scale operational trials with six ethanol-fueled hybrid buses.

The company says that the hybrid technology will reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent and that the use of ethanol will reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent.

Scania has chosen a series-hybrid solution for these buses, a technology with the greatest benefits in stop-and-go city driving, says the company. What characterizes a series-hybrid powertrain is that there is no mechanical connection between the combustion engine and the propulsion motor. Electrical power is generated by a diesel engine adapted to run on ethanol. Mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy in a generator.

The six buses are driven by an electrical motor that doubles as a generator when braking. Energy is stored in supercapacitors with considerably longer service life than today’s batteries, according to the company.