Unlike ADL, Volvo used half of its stand to show off its coach lineup - the B7R, B9R and the heavy B12Bs, along with the intergral sister, 9700:
The most important vehicle on show, though, is their hybrid double decker - B5L Hybrid. This is one of the 6 on order with Arriva London, and like the E400H, is due in service very shortly.
Fitted with the Eclipse Gemini 1 body, the B5L Hybrid uses a parallel hybrid drivetrain, with a D5E 5-litre 4-cylinder engine mounted with ISAM electric motor/battery pack. Both the engine and the ISAM pack are connected in parallel to the transmission - Volvo's own i-Shift 12-speed unit.
The engine is mounted in-line, instead of transversely mounted like the B7TL and B9TL. This is, of course, not the first time Volvo offered an in-line engine double decker to the UK market with, erh, the failed B7L in 1997. Thanks to the smaller drivetrain though, the layout at the back doesn't look as awkward as the B7L.
The B5L Hybrid was the ownly Volvo double decker on show, with the B9TL, currently the main double decker offered by Volvo, oddly absent. On top of the B5L, two B7RLE were displayed, and the more interesting one has to be this Enviro 300 bodied version destined for Ulsterbus of Northern Ireland:
What makes it interesting is the hinged door fitted specifically for wheelchair users:
Anyway, back to the coaches. As said, a number were on show, but this one, the Volvo 9700, is probably the more interesting. Despite its modest look, it has a classy and quality interior, so good in fact that it won the Coach of the Year 2008 award:
We will be looking at Optare and Wrightbus tomorrow.
原帖由 ~誰@359~ 於 2008-11-7 18:02 發表
I wonder why the front overhang of that B7RLE is so short that it is neceesary to have another door for wheelchair
It is of course to minimize the space wasted by a wide entrance/exit as on other single-door buses.
The new entrance/exit for wheelchair is right at the same location for parking the wheelchair.
This layout does not use up any extra space for the wide door but free up more low floor area on the wheelbase.
but is the B5L hybrid system is simular to the one in Park Island Designline?
(i.e. the disael engine is used for powerup the generator instead of run the vehicle directly?)
