Volvo: One of Sweden’s Hottest Artists Performs Surprise Gig to Promote New Electric Bus Route

At the initiative of Volvo (STO:VOLVA) (STO:VOLVB), the City of Gothenburg and others, Seinabo Sey – one of Sweden’s most popular artists – recently performed onboard one Gothenburg's new electric buses. Two music videos are being released today. They were recorded during a surprise concert for unsuspecting passengers. The purpose of the campaign is to promote ElectriCity, a unique collaboration that resulted in the new electric bus route.

See music videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLms0jAVAM8WSFHV-epNemd74kI7xrEEbb

This summer, public transport users in Gothenburg, Sweden got to experience a new, significantly quieter travel option. The new bus route 55 opened on 15 June. It has three completely electric buses and seven electric hybrid buses. Few of the passengers travelling the route on 7 September suspected what was in store when they boarded the bus and stepped right into a video recording of the Silent Bus Sessions.

The videos from Seinabo Sey’s bus concert will be released today. The songs are unique versions of her hits "Younger” and "Hard Time”, and were performed a cappella with a backing choir.

"I've wanted an opportunity to sing with my friends from the Tensta Gospel Choir for so long, and it was fantastic that it finally happened. It was a special day. The passengers had no idea what was going to happen, and I was a bit nervous about how they would react,” Seinabo says.

The Silent Bus Sessions campaign continues on Thursday with the release of music videos from a new artist.

Campaign for ElectriCity

The Silent Bus Sessions was produced to demonstrate how silent the new electric buses are – the noise level is so low that acoustic concerts and video recordings can take place onboard.

The unique collaboration that resulted in the new electric bus route is called ElectriCity and includes representatives from industry, academia and municipal and regional administrations.

"Rising noise levels represent a serious health problem in big cities around the world. That’s why we're convinced that electric public transport in cities is the way forward. But a real difference can only be achieved if there is collaboration between vehicle manufacturers, urban planners, public transport, energy companies and academia. This collaboration is the unique strength of the ElectriCity project,” says Niklas Gustafsson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Volvo Group.

The City of Gothenburg is another partner in the project. "This shows how creative forces meet in Gothenburg. Silent electric buses eliminate noise and exhaust gases and allow people to enjoy music and creativity on their way to work or school. Music, culture and technical development are among Gothenburg's strengths, and it's wonderful to see what happens when they're combined together," comments Anneli Hulthén, Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board, Gothenburg.

About Seinabo Sey

24-year-old Seinabo Sey broke through with her major hit "Younger”, and has since topped charts in Sweden and abroad. In the past year she has released a number of new songs including "Hard Time” and "Poetic”, and has had more than 100 million plays on Spotify. She has also received international acclaim. She has been a guest on Conan O’Brien and Later with Jools Holland.

About ElectriCity

ElectriCity is a collaborative project between academia, industry and the public sector and is aimed at developing, demonstrating and evaluating new sustainable public transport systems for the future. Testing and evaluation of electric bus transport is a central part of ElectriCity. Silent, emission-free public transport can operate in places where traffic is currently banned. This opens up new possibilities for urban planning in towns and cities.

The three electric buses on the route run on renewable electricity and are energy-efficient, silent and completely emission-free. The buses’ batteries are quickly recharged at the terminal bus stops. Passengers have access to onboard wi-fi and phone charging facilities. The bus stop on Lindholmen has an indoor terminal. Besides the three completely electric buses, the route has a number of electric hybrid buses that run on electricity for approximately 70% of the route.

In addition to the actual buses, ElectriCity develops and tests new bus stop systems, transport management systems, safety concepts and energy supply systems.

http://www.goteborgelectricity.se/en

Download images and videos from Volvo Buses’ media gallery (http://segotn12076.rds.volvo.com/sites_910_VB/pincollection.jspx?collectionName=%7Ba5724267-ce8d-4b66-bd2d-41028571f5cc%7D)

The press material is also available at: thenewsmarket.com/volvobuses (http://www.thenewsmarket.com/volvobuses)

2015-09-22

ElectriCity is a collaboration between 14 partner organisations: Volvo Group, Region Västra Götaland, Västtrafik, City of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology, Swedish Energy Agency, Johanneberg Science Park, Lindholmen Science Park, Business Region Göteborg, Göteborg Energi, Keolis, Älvstranden Utveckling, Chalmersfastigheter and Akademiska Hus.

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