Scania poised to capitalise on Sweden’s successful operation of gas buses

Following significant success in a number of Swedish cities and other locations around the world, Scania (Great Britain) Limited in conjunction with bodybuilder Alexander Dennis Limited is to launch a low entry gas bus into the UK.

The new vehicle will be based on Scania’s KUB chassis and feature Scania’s 270 horsepower EEV 9.3-litre five-cylinder energy efficient lean burn gas engine, which offers high efficiency and low fuel consumption with no need for exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Noise and vibration levels are also low and the engine can operate on either Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or biogas. The unit is based on the same platform as Scania’s modular-build 9.3-litre diesel engine, which limits the number of new components required for the low entry gas chassis to around 40 items.

The collaborative venture will see Scania supply its KUB chassis and high pressure lightweight composite tanks to Alexander Dennis Limited for fitment of an adapted Enviro300 43-seat, 12.2-metre overall length body. The finished vehicle will be available via both Scania (Great Britain) Limited and Alexander Dennis Limited.

In preparation for the UK introduction of the gas bus, Scania has already ensured that all necessary technical literature and parts are available. Scania (Great Britain) Limited is also working with a gas infrastructure provider in order to be able to supply operators with a complete gas-powered transport system.

Over the course of its long history, Scania has produced gas-powered vehicles for almost 100 years, with one of the earliest recorded examples being buses adapted to run on producer gas during the First World War years. Scania first produced a dedicated gas bus engine in 1940. In more recent times the company has supplied in excess of 3,800 gas engines for various applications.