AlexGRFan97: Created page for the Volvo ECB.

2022-11-24T10:44:45Z

Created page for the Volvo ECB.

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{{Infobox Vehicle Bus
|article = Volvo ECB
|image = [[File:Volvo_ECB_Main_Image.jpg|300px]]The Environmental Concept Bus.
|manu = Volvo
|model = Environmental Concept Bus
|origin = Swedish
|drivetrain = MR
|adj = concept
|type = bus
|year1 = 1995
|year2 = 1995
|show = Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 35/Episode 3
|showshort = Top Gear: Series 35, Episode 3
|year3 = 1996
}}
The '''Volvo Environmental Concept Bus''', or ECB for short, was a concept bus produced by Swedish automaker [[Volvo]] as part of their ''Volvo Environmental Concept'' series of vehicles, which began with the [[Volvo Environmental Concept Car]] in 1992. Costing £15 million to design and build, the vehicle was powered<ref>[https://trid.trb.org/view/462666 TRID - A Conceptual Advance (Volvo's ECB Environmental Concept Bus.]</ref> by a hybrid gas turbine/electric drivetrain, most of which was stored in the bus' roof. The ECB was designed with the intent of showcasing potential future innovations to be used on future buses, such as a low-floor design. Some of the design elements employed by the ECB were later used by bus manufacturers, including Volvo.

The bus was built entirely out of aluminium, and around a rollcage designed to protect its occupants in the event of a crash. The seats are part of this rollcage construction, and computers are used to stabilise the ECB when driving over rough or uneven terrain. If the ECB were to roll, a trap door in the floor can open to allow passengers to exit safely.

==Appearance==
After testing the company's [[Volvo Environmental Concept Truck|Environmental Concept Truck]], ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' host [[Tony Mason]] also took the Environmental Concept Bus out for a test drive. He remarks that it's very similar to the ECT, but whilst that felt like a Concorde, the ECB feels more like the Starship Enterprise. After driving the bus around a circuit, there's a brief interview from Volvo engineer Kerstin Sterner, who suggests that the gas turbine might be too excessive and that alternative hybrid drivetrains employing the use of petrol or diesel power may be experimented with in the coming years.

==References==

Volvo Environmental Concept Bus - Revision history

AlexGRFan97: Created page for the Volvo ECB.