Volvo B5L

Volvo B5LH
Arriva North West Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied B5LHs in Liverpool in April 2013
Overview
Manufacturer	Volvo
Body and chassis
Doors	Single door or Dual door
Floor type	Low floor
Powertrain
Capacity	90 Passengers
Transmission	Volvo I-Shift 12-speed auto
Dimensions
Length	10.5m (Early version: 10.4m) (Double-decker) 18.0m (Articulated)
Width	2.55m
Chronology

The Volvo B5LH (initially known as the Volvo B5L Hybrid, also known as the Volvo BRLH) is a low-floor hybrid electric bus chassis for both single-decker buses and double-decker buses manufactured by Volvo since 2008. It is the basis for Volvo's integral 7700 Hybrid full low floor city bus and its successor, the 7900 Hybrid from 2011. In 2008, pre-production batches of both types of chassis were manufactured. Serial production started in June 2010. From 2013 it is also available as an articulated bus chassis. First entering service in London, the B5LH is the only current double decker type in service in the United Kingdom that uses a parallel hybrid drive system.

The B5LH is powered by Volvo's in-house parallel hybrid drive train that couple its I-SAM motor to a 5-litre D5-series diesel engine. The drive train is connected to the Volvo I-Shift automatic transmission that drives the rear axle. The whole drive train is mounted in-line at the left rear of the chassis, similar to the B7L. A lithium battery pack is mounted just behind the front left wheel, powering the I-SAM motor system.

The B5LH features stop-start system that allows its engine to cut off when the bus is stationary, and the battery is sufficiently charged. It is also capable to drive at full electric mode from standstill to up to 20 kph. In service, Volvo claims that the B5LH achieves 35% improvement on fuel consumption and reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide by an equivalent amount. In service data in London shows that the B5LH is demonstrating between 25 and 40% of fuel consumption improvement.