Oslo ethanol powered biofuel bus

Suppose your city does not have an electric tram, or trolleybus system. Public transport is carried out with diesel buses. Now suppose the city council wants to do something about the environment. In particular, they want public transport to be more environment friendly.

Obviously, installing an electric system, or even a subway, is not the first thing on their minds, given the large investment that would come with it. Especially now that everything seems to be owned, controlled or at least influenced by large companies whose first interest is making more profits, not transporting citizens in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

So what is left to do? Well, you could fill up the tank with a different fuel. Replacing diesel fuel with a biofuel like ethanol is a relatively easy job. It is what the Norwegian capital Oslo has decided to do.

In 2008, twenty third-generation Scania ethanol buses will be taken into service by the Oslo public transport company. According to their calculations, these 20 ethanol buses will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 600 tonnes per year.

Scania is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks and buses. They state that their third generation of ethanol engines have the same high efficiency as an ordinary diesel engine.

To promote the new biofuel buses, Scania made one available for transport services in conjunction with the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo on 10 December 2007.

Photo: biofuel bus in the streets of Oslo, 2598 x 1733 pixels, 1.65 mB