Scania is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2016. From its founding as a privately owned wagon building company back in 1891 to today’s era of connected vehicles,
Scania managed to be in the forefront of developments. Today, that successful journey continues, the company claims.
A new survey from Xerox underscores the desire for self-driving cars and smart digital services like integrated apps and cashless payment by Europe’s Generation Z (those aged 18-24 years old). The study was conducted by TNS on behalf of Xerox between 5 and 26 October 2015 among 1,200 respondents in 12 cities across the UK, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It revealed that by 2025, a third (32 per cent) of 18-24 year olds expect to be using self-driving cars, four in ten (41 per cent) say they won’t be using cash to pay for transport and half (51 per cent) believe transport provision will be a key consideration when deciding where to live and work.
To promote environmentally friendly vehicles, the Indian government has recently launched the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India) program, offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles. Volvo is one of the first to profit from this program. She brings its hybrid bus technology to India in the first half of 2016, promising a fuel-consumption benefit of 39% compared to diesel. The first Volvo hybrid city bus pilot will start in the first half of 2016 in Navi Mumbai with Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT). The Volvo hybrids will be manufactured in the company’s facility in Bangalore.
On January 8, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha boarded the first BYD K9 pure-electric bus assembled in Thailand. After thoroughly inspecting the bus, Mr. Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that the BYD K9 fully embodies the performance and excellence required for quality public transportation and extolled the fact that the vehicle was assembled in Thailand. He added that electrified transportation is an inescapable global trend and that Thailand won’t miss out on it, thus announcing a first batch of 200 electric buses tender within three months.
As well as a stylish new interior and exterior look, including a glazed stairwell – the new 10.5m double decks will have E-leather seats, wood-affect floors, Wi-Fi and USB charging points, ‘next stop’ visuals and audio announcements. They will be powered by the latest Euro 6, low-emission technology and come complete with fuel saving “smart accessories” and stop-start capability.