The back lights being the same as the current gen is an interesting choice, similar to when the 8500 received its facelift to look like the 8900 front, it kept its old rear lights, making it look very strange!
Hvem vet hva som blir bestilt i fremtiden? Dette er bare en prototype, så den ruller ikke. Rekkevidde blir etter batterikapasitet kunde bestiller i fremtiden
That old rear design should not give our Volvo customers in Stavanger a headache when they eventually will repair bodywork at the back, rear corners and windows gets smashed quite often, on 6x2 busses at least. Also those small bottom lamps at the rear is fog lights, it`s a common thing for the lens to separate from the lamp exposing the bulb. That happens so often it`s not uncommon to see a bus with at least one missing lens, not sure why that happens but that`s how it is.
I think this configuration would be better suited for suburban runs. Or perhaps a larger capacity rental car/hotel shuttle bus at airports. 100% electric would be fine for airport/hotel/rental car shuttles. They don’t go that far so no worries about running out of juice way out in the middle of nowhere.
One interesting thing I saw with the driver's cabin is that it's situated a lot lower than the current gen 8900 (ok 12-year-old) I drive at work. In the current 8900's you have a great view of the road ahead because of being so high up. We also have some 7900 city buses rolling around and they have this same low cabin
This is the first time ever that the 8900 Volvo bus body is produced by MCV. Similar to MAN strategy which the RHD version of MAN Lion's City E bus body is built by Geimlang Coachwork in Malaysia. The bus body will be still designed by Volvo and MAN but not built by them anymore.
The RHD MAN bus bodied by Gemilang is not officially named "Lion's City E" for the marketing....unfortunately. At least for now, due to licensing apparently. We are referring it as a MAN Electric A22, MAN A22E and similar. Yeah I know it's a bit bizarre as previous euro 6 MAN buses were pasted with the Lion's City branding above the driver window/front door.
I think the best bus to date as a passenger is the current gen double axle 8900 low entry. Just sitting in the back is so relaxing even though the engine is right below you. I'm looking forward to see what volvo will do with this new platform :)
@@karl-erikkald8876 Yep - Volvo is not Selling buses in Denmark anymore because the Market was “too small” but we still have many Volvo 8500 and 8900 running around after many years
The front of the bus might have been given a new look, yet in practicality, especially those headlights, I only see two units that can light up as before. You might get an aerodynamic V-shaped part right above it, but if I were a motorist approaching from the other side of the road I would appreciate better daytime running lights. Volvo has these and in my honest opinion, they should have integrated those. Then there is this cockpit. I can appreciate the new digital dashboard with the steering wheel. I didn’t see whether or not it is possible to have it with a retarder, but if so, even better. But the window on the side, it being a manually handled sliding window, is a downside for me. These windows tend to be annoying in my opinion, especially on very windy days. And given that this specific model can be used in intercity traffic operations, it might be prone to these winds. Also the hight of the side panel blocks out a substantial amount of space. I rather have the window extending more downwards so that you have a better view and a more spacious feeling of the cockpit. And my last bit of criticism goes to the mirrors. I understand that many drivers can still appreciate ‘classic’ mirrors, but aesthetically speaking, these mirrors don’t match the “new look” this bus has been given. They are simple in their exterior and also in matters of safety. These buses drive in city traffic, meaning they deal with pedestrians all the time. I have not seen many safety features regarding to blind spots and so on. I understand that they wanted to impress with the BZR, but I don’t get all excited over this specific showcased model.
Since this is a prototype, we where not able to drive it. But, I'm sure this one is delivered with the retarder. It's also an important tool for regeneration. I'm sure Volvo also can provice the electric window. This should be a customer preference, but I'm not sure yet. All specs will come later. I'm also sure that this bus can be delivered with digital mirrors in the future! Volvo already have that on their coaches, so tech is there already :)
@@bussmagasinet1Ja, blir nok urealistisk å forvente marmor. MEN liker hvordan Solaris har løst det. Bruk av "metall" som lister ved vinduene, glassflater før og etter ledd. Og plasten er farget i en litt mindre grå farge. Da ser det ikke så "billig" ut - til tross for at kostnadsforskjellene sikkert er minimale!
Just wondering why volvo hates drivers so much that power steering, heating and air-conditioning are optional equipments. 8700 volvo you can steer with only one finger. Newer ones are rubbish. Noise is terrible and missing power steering and shock absorbers / suspension ruins every working day. Drivers side windows is oversized to boil driver on sunny days. And keep it chilled in winter. Left armpit sweats when right leg is numb because of the cold. Best of the best volvo features is line sign controller and radio far above the driver. Real risk to touch them while driving. I'd rather drive a Scania or VDL. Driving volvo really makes your body to suffer. I have been bus driver for 13 years and volvos have gone from decent to shit really quick. Even the software is really buggy sometimes. "Stop carefully. No data!" and doors won't never work with one push of button. Closing rear doors may need three or four tries. And you can't stop door while it is moving. Often only way to stop movement is to let passenger to run in between closing door and safety feature opens it again. That same safety feature won't let you do your job when temperature is like -25 celsius. Must ask passenger to help door to open or close and override safety feature which prevents drivings doors "open". Volvo should do better!
Love the physical mirrors! Much better than the digital ones.
It’s a matter of taste, but in Bussmagasinet, we love the old mirror
The back lights being the same as the current gen is an interesting choice, similar to when the 8500 received its facelift to look like the 8900 front, it kept its old rear lights, making it look very strange!
True. It’s hard to see from the back part what bus it is
Best looking electric bus till date
Looks good 😁
Den nye bussen på 390 og 385 ruten? Rekkevidde?
Hvem vet hva som blir bestilt i fremtiden? Dette er bare en prototype, så den ruller ikke. Rekkevidde blir etter batterikapasitet kunde bestiller i fremtiden
Den ser ut til å være lik innvendig 390 som jeg er passasjer på i Nittedal. Burde kunne regenerere mye fra Gjelleråsen mot sentrum.
As a passenger, I hate the extremely low seats in combination with the high windows behind the driver. Why did they keep that solution?
easier to sit for elderly/other people with weak legs
@@zzz-yq1jp Yes, of course. The issue is the windows, you can barely see out the window, and it feels like you sit on the floor. @zzz-yq1jp
This is the same situation in all low floor buses. If you don’t like it, you can sit in the back 😁
True!
It’s also many seats in the high floor part of the bus 😁
The mirror is an option, up to the owner
Correct
That old rear design should not give our Volvo customers in Stavanger a headache when they eventually will repair bodywork at the back, rear corners and windows gets smashed quite often, on 6x2 busses at least. Also those small bottom lamps at the rear is fog lights, it`s a common thing for the lens to separate from the lamp exposing the bulb. That happens so often it`s not uncommon to see a bus with at least one missing lens, not sure why that happens but that`s how it is.
So true. It's easy to hit the back corners. Well! All can be unlucky. But, some are more unlucky than others ;)
A really good looking bus!
Glad to hear!
Glad to hear!
I think this configuration would be better suited for suburban runs. Or perhaps a larger capacity rental car/hotel shuttle bus at airports. 100% electric would be fine for airport/hotel/rental car shuttles. They don’t go that far so no worries about running out of juice way out in the middle of nowhere.
This is a perfect intercity bus. Of course, as a shuttle, it would also work nice. But, this one is built to serve intercity traffic.
Is the 8900 only available as an electric bus now?
No, but I guess it’s a future plan
@@bussmagasinet1 so it’s still available in a diesel drivetrain?
One interesting thing I saw with the driver's cabin is that it's situated a lot lower than the current gen 8900 (ok 12-year-old) I drive at work. In the current 8900's you have a great view of the road ahead because of being so high up. We also have some 7900 city buses rolling around and they have this same low cabin
Guess there are different reasons why things are different
A talk about the electrical system in the “engine” bay would have been nice.
We just got some few minutes with this vehicle. Well come back with a Tom’s Tech Talk when the prototype is ready to be driven
AND NEW VOLVO BUSES THIS YEAR THANKS YOU 😊
😁😁
Nice bus! Will Volvo also apply the front of this bus model to their other bus models? But the backside is same as other models.
So far only this one as we know
@@bussmagasinet1 Ah ok! Thank you very much!
This is the first time ever that the 8900 Volvo bus body is produced by MCV. Similar to MAN strategy which the RHD version of MAN Lion's City E bus body is built by Geimlang Coachwork in Malaysia. The bus body will be still designed by Volvo and MAN but not built by them anymore.
Still, this bus is build in Poland. But, mass production will be from MCV
The RHD MAN bus bodied by Gemilang is not officially named "Lion's City E" for the marketing....unfortunately. At least for now, due to licensing apparently. We are referring it as a MAN Electric A22, MAN A22E and similar. Yeah I know it's a bit bizarre as previous euro 6 MAN buses were pasted with the Lion's City branding above the driver window/front door.
I think the best bus to date as a passenger is the current gen double axle 8900 low entry. Just sitting in the back is so relaxing even though the engine is right below you. I'm looking forward to see what volvo will do with this new platform :)
Agree! This current version is very comfortable! Let’s hope this will be the same
No. it is just rubbish . Children will cry when volvo makes one of those harsh gear change. Seen that too many times.
@@FaiberGlassYou know there is different gearboxes for Volvo buses right
that front could be the older verion then the buses is 10/10
😁😁😁
One thing I am noticing are bus and truck designs are merging to become a cohesive brand image. MAN and now Volvo. Scania probably too at some point.
Very true. Easier to get spare parts
can you test a bus to vannøya😊
Will have been fun!
the front of this bus looks way different compared to the volvo 8900s where i live lol
This is a brand new model. That’s why
@@bussmagasinet1 i know, i just mean that it looks completely different (unlike the back of the bus)
That is nice. I'd like like to see a Volvo 8700 Electric, even tho it is probably a way too old model/bus.
The 8900 is the successor of 8700, so it won't be coming
Would have been fun. Maybe some Chinese manufacturers copy it and give it an electric driveline 😂😂
Would have been fun. Maybe some Chinese manufacturers copy it and give it an electric driveline 😂😂
True!
Shame Volvo don't sell buses to Denmark anymore...
That’s very sad! That have to change for the future
Wait, what?!
@@karl-erikkald8876 Yep - Volvo is not Selling buses in Denmark anymore because the Market was “too small” but we still have many Volvo 8500 and 8900 running around after many years
The front of the bus might have been given a new look, yet in practicality, especially those headlights, I only see two units that can light up as before. You might get an aerodynamic V-shaped part right above it, but if I were a motorist approaching from the other side of the road I would appreciate better daytime running lights. Volvo has these and in my honest opinion, they should have integrated those.
Then there is this cockpit. I can appreciate the new digital dashboard with the steering wheel. I didn’t see whether or not it is possible to have it with a retarder, but if so, even better.
But the window on the side, it being a manually handled sliding window, is a downside for me. These windows tend to be annoying in my opinion, especially on very windy days. And given that this specific model can be used in intercity traffic operations, it might be prone to these winds.
Also the hight of the side panel blocks out a substantial amount of space. I rather have the window extending more downwards so that you have a better view and a more spacious feeling of the cockpit.
And my last bit of criticism goes to the mirrors. I understand that many drivers can still appreciate ‘classic’ mirrors, but aesthetically speaking, these mirrors don’t match the “new look” this bus has been given. They are simple in their exterior and also in matters of safety. These buses drive in city traffic, meaning they deal with pedestrians all the time. I have not seen many safety features regarding to blind spots and so on. I understand that they wanted to impress with the BZR, but I don’t get all excited over this specific showcased model.
Since this is a prototype, we where not able to drive it. But, I'm sure this one is delivered with the retarder. It's also an important tool for regeneration.
I'm sure Volvo also can provice the electric window. This should be a customer preference, but I'm not sure yet. All specs will come later.
I'm also sure that this bus can be delivered with digital mirrors in the future! Volvo already have that on their coaches, so tech is there already :)
Det er så trist at Volvo - NOK EN GANG. Har det grusomme, grå plastinteriøret sitt! Det ser så billig ut!!
Samtidig er det en bybuss. Men, skjønner hva du mener
@@bussmagasinet1Ja, blir nok urealistisk å forvente marmor. MEN liker hvordan Solaris har løst det. Bruk av "metall" som lister ved vinduene, glassflater før og etter ledd. Og plasten er farget i en litt mindre grå farge. Da ser det ikke så "billig" ut - til tross for at kostnadsforskjellene sikkert er minimale!
A luxurious bus but not practical for every day city operation.
I’m Scandinavia, this type of class two model is the most sold vehicle. So, it’s practical for certain areas 😊
They did miss the point of why mercedes is so well welcomed by not putting the batteries in the floor😂
Hahaha
Just wondering why volvo hates drivers so much that power steering, heating and air-conditioning are optional equipments. 8700 volvo you can steer with only one finger. Newer ones are rubbish. Noise is terrible and missing power steering and shock absorbers / suspension ruins every working day. Drivers side windows is oversized to boil driver on sunny days. And keep it chilled in winter. Left armpit sweats when right leg is numb because of the cold. Best of the best volvo features is line sign controller and radio far above the driver.
Real risk to touch them while driving. I'd rather drive a Scania or VDL. Driving volvo really makes your body to suffer. I have been bus driver for 13 years and volvos have gone from decent to shit really quick. Even the software is really buggy sometimes. "Stop carefully. No data!" and doors won't never work with one push of button. Closing rear doors may need three or four tries. And you can't stop door while it is moving. Often only way to stop movement is to let passenger to run in between closing door and safety feature opens it again. That same safety feature won't let you do your job when temperature is like -25 celsius. Must ask passenger to help door to open or close and override safety feature which prevents drivings doors "open". Volvo should do better!
So sad to hear. I don’t think it’s Volvo that’s sucks. I rather think the company ordered the bus, wanted to save some money