The electric buses from Volvo will run on four routes in Trondheim, covering distances of between 12 and 15 km each, with operations due to start in August 2019.

In 2010, public transportation administration company AtB in Trondheim was among the first in Europe to order hybrid buses from Volvo. With the acquisition by operator Tide Buss of a total of 35 electric buses, including the 25 Volvo buses, Trondheim will have the largest electric bus fleet in Norway.

The fully electric buses are being sold as a complete turnkey package whereby Volvo takes care of all vehicle and battery maintenance at a fixed monthly cost. The buses will be fast-charged using opportunity charging, via rails installed at the end stops.

The charging stations will be based on an open interface known as OppCharge, which means they can be used by other electrified bus makes too. The buses will run on renewable energy so they will be entirely emission-free. Energy consumption for Volvo’s electric buses is about 80% lower than for corresponding diesel buses.

Volvo’s fully electric buses have previously been ordered by cities such as Malmö (Sweden), Differdange (Luxemburg), and Harrogate (UK). In addition to the fully electric Volvo 7900 Electric, the Volvo Buses range of electrified vehicles includes hybrid models and electric hybrids (plug-in hybrids). In total the company has sold more than 3,600 electrified Volvo buses globally.