Volvo’s New Electric Bus Has A Gigantic Battery Pack

• Volvo Buses’ new BZR Electric coach chassis can be fitted with an enormous battery pack.
• With a modular design that can accommodate up to eight individual modules, the electric coach has a maximum range of up to 435 miles (700 kilometers).
• When fitted with the maximum number of battery modules, the energy capacity exceeds 700 kWh.

This is Volvo Buses’ new BZR Electric coach chassis, which can be fitted with one of the largest-capacity battery packs on the market for an impressive maximum driving range of 435 miles (700 kilometers) on a single charge.

The BZR’s chassis is available in three configurations, and its battery pack is split into individual modules. Each module stores 90 kilowatt-hours of energy, and the smallest battery pack, fitted to the shortest 4×2 version of the coach chassis, has four modules for a total capacity of 360 kWh.

Volvo BZR Electric 6×2 LHD

Photo by: Volvo Buses

That said, a maximum of eight modules can be fitted to the longest chassis version with a 6×2 wheel setup, for a gargantuan total capacity of 720 kWh. Each module is rated at 600 volts and weighs 1,180 pounds (535 kilograms), which means the largest battery pack tips the scales at a hefty 9,436 lbs (4,280 kg).

Thankfully, the motors that provide motivation are more than capable of coping. The single-motor versions of Volvo’s BZR electric coach have a maximum output of 268 horsepower (200 kilowatts) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque at the output shaft. After going through the two-speed automated transmission, though, that torque figure increases to a stratospheric 15,415 lb-ft (20,900 Nm). 

But that’s not all, because there’s also a dual-motor version that raises the bar even further: 536 hp, 626 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque at the motor and 24,708 lb-ft (33,500 Nm) of torque at the wheel.

Charging this beast of an EV can be done through either a CCS2 connector that accepts up to 250 kilowatts or something called OppCharge. The latter is a locomotive-like pantograph that lowers from a protected stall and connects to a bar that sits on the coach’s roof. Through this connection, the Volvo BZR coach can accept up to 450 kW.

The chassis is also packed full of Volvo Buses’ latest suite of advanced driver assistance systems, including Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning with Emergency Brake and Side Collision Avoidance Support.

The chassis will be offered with bodies from different bodybuilders, with either left- or right-hand drive, depending on what the market and customer preferences are. The charging port can also be fitted pretty much anywhere on the body, making depot charging easy as pie.

The first Volvo BZR Electric coach chassis has already been bodied by Carrus Delta (CD) and will soon go into operation in Europe’s Nordic and Benelux markets.

Volvo Buses’ latest battery-powered people mover comes hot on the heels of the MAN Lion’s Coach E, which has a maximum battery capacity of 536 kWh and a claimed driving range of up to 403 miles (650 km). Then, there’s Scania, which recently unveiled its new plug-in hybrid bus and coach chassis that enables long-distance travel powered by diesel and electric driving for zero-emissions urban areas.