Automotive media insideevs has published a blog post announcing the unveiling of the world’s first long-range bioethanol electric bus, the Volare Attack 9, at the Lat.Bus 2024 Expo in Brazil. The car uses the EREV power system and was developed by the Horse joint venture between Renault and Geely.

The regular Attack 9 has been on the market for many years and is available in a variety of configurations, including school, city and regional routes, and can carry up to 32 passengers. The ethanol version of the EREV thus takes a more environmentally friendly approach by dispensing with the diesel engine.

While the normal Attack 9 bus uses a 3.8-litre or 4.7-litre diesel engine, the Volare Attack 9 uses a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, which uses a power source burning ethanol to drive a 120 kW generator (hour), powered by a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery located in the chassis.

Energy from the battery is sent to the electric motor, which has a maximum output of 100 horsepower and a maximum torque of 667 lb-ft. Although the power figures are lower than the diesel version (162 hp and 180 hp, respectively), the torque of the electric motor is somewhere in the middle (610 lb-ft and 745 lb-ft, respectively).

The Volare Attack 9 Hybrido is produced by Marcopolo, the largest bus manufacturer in South America, and is sold on the Brazilian market. It has a 200-liter ethanol tank and a maximum range of 280 miles (IT House note: approximately 450.62 kilometers). ).

The bus can also be charged using home or public chargers, Horse said, without providing details on charging speeds. The ethanol-powered EREV buses are scheduled to go on sale in 2026.