One year after the beginning of its tests, Volkswagen Truck & Bus presents its first model of the e-Volksbus family developed at its factory in Resende (RJ). In addition to emitting zero carbon and reducing noise, the e-Volksbus 22L electric bus ensures high standards of energy efficiency and operational economy, redefining urban public transport for sustainable mobility, combining technology, comfort and safety.
With a capacity to transport up to 82 people, it can receive urban bus bodies up to 13.2 meters long, the model has a total gross weight of 22 tons and is equipped with a 280 kW motor and a maximum torque of 2,300 Nm. Coupled to this motor is a gearbox capable of raising the output torque up to 4,050 Nm, ensuring maximum performance in urban operations and hills.
The e-Volksbus 22L is powered by a set of 12 packs of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries, already used in e-Delivery vehicles and validated for demanding applications with ample safety. This configuration provides a range of up to 250 km, with 385 kW/h, on a single charge of up to three hours. There will also be the option of eight battery packs, with a shorter autonomy.
The vehicle's recharging plug, compatible with chargers up to 160 kW of power, can be installed at the rear or front of the bus, according to the customer's needs in the garage.
The batteries are located on the roof and rear of the vehicle. They also have independent thermal management systems, which optimizes performance and energy consumption, ensuring good thermal equalization of the battery packs. This makes the bodybuilding process easier and ensures that the system lasts longer.
The e-Volksbus steering system has redundancy in its operation, allowing greater reliability and safety during operation, delivering continuous hydraulic assistance to the driver, in any condition and with full control of the vehicle.
With the regenerative braking system, with four power levels, the VW electric bus is able to recover energy during decelerations, increasing its energy efficiency during daily operation. The Eco Drive Mode system, on the other hand, optimizes energy consumption, automatically adjusting the vehicle's performance to maximize range.
In addition, the VW electric bus comes with high technology in safety systems, high protection for operation even in flooded regions, ramp start assistant, ABS and EBD brakes. It also offers the "door brake" function, which brakes the vehicle when the doors are opened for passengers boarding and exiting.
The vehicle's accessibility stands out for its "low entry" concept, with a low floor in the central and front part, which added to the kneeling, lifting and squatting system, facilitate and expedite passenger boarding and exiting. Another configuration that contributes even more to passenger comfort is the integral air suspension on the front and rear axles, ensuring greater comfort for those traveling in the vehicle. Among the advantages of the e-Volksbus, there is also the smart air conditioning system, completely integrated with the electronic control system of the vehicle chassis, allowing maximum thermal comfort for passengers and energy optimization.
The dashboard follows the same language already used in the e-Delivery, providing information in an intuitive and practical way for the driver to monitor both consumption and the system's energy recovery. The e-Volksbus also has a set of reinforced tires, dedicated to the urban operation of electric buses and capable of supporting greater load capacity.
The e-Volksbus chassis platform is based on the modular chassis of the current diesel version, ensuring robustness and durability to the set. Electrification, on the other hand, maintains the same basis as the modular e-Delivery platform, which has been extensively tested and validated over the last five years in Brazil and Latin America.
Thus, Volkswagen Truck & Bus ensures the durability of the components in the most diverse operating conditions. In addition, the dealer network and the parts and accessories center are already equipped with all the technical knowledge to support the operation and after-sales of the vehicle, since it shares the components of the e-Delivery platform.