Since 1977, Volvo’s Borås factory has manufactured bus chassis for the global market, and has now reached the milestone number of 200,000 chassis. Chassis number 200,000 was for its newest model, the Volvo BZL electric, which the manufacturer said was a coincidence, but of high probability as it is ramping up production after the recent launch.
Although number 200,000 was a BZL electric chassis, over 50 different chassis types have been made in Borås including some of the most popular models such as the B10M, B7R/B7RLE and the B11R.
The Borås factory is Volvo’s industrial hub for chassis production for global markets and is one of its first bus production facilities that relies solely on renewable energy for its operation, having been certified by Volvo as a ‘Renewable Energy Facility,’ following a number of steps taken which were designed to minimise its climate footprint.
“We are of course very proud that we have reduced our climate impact by only using renewable sources and all the energy we purchase is fossil-free. The electricity comes from hydropower, our district heating is provided by biofuels, and the fork-lift trucks in the factory run on electricity or HVO, which is a renewable fuel,” said Joakim Wretman, Production Manager at the Volvo Buses Borås plant.
In recent years, the factory has also implemented a number of measures that together cut have energy consumption by 15%. “For instance, we have replaced conventional fluorescent bulbs with LED light fittings and the manufacturing plant’s lighting is regulated automatically so it is only active during actual production. We also ensure that no electricity-consuming equipment remains switched on when it is not needed,” added Joakim. “We have noted immense enthusiasm on the part of all our employees, and our local partner has contributed both know-how and practical solutions.”
The Borås factory is also participating in Autofreight, a project designed to reduce transportation between the Viared Logistics Park and the Port of Gothenburg that Volvo said has already helped cut CO2 emissions by about 30%.
Volvo has made a short film about the milestone which can be found on the Volvo Buses LinkedIn page.
