This Unassuming Bus Is An EREV That Runs On Ethanol–The World’s First

It has a tiny combustion engine, a generator and an LFP battery pack.

Volare Attack 9 Hibrido

Photo by: HORSE Powertrain

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Sep 6, 2024 at 6:38am ET

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The Volare Attack 9 Hibrido is the world's first extended-range electric bus that also runs on bioethanol.
The powertrain was provided by Renault and Geely's joint venture, Horse.
The bus, which will go on sale in 2026, has a 120-kilowatt-hour LFP battery pack.

The brightly colored bus in the photo gallery embedded below is hiding a cool secret under its green bodywork. That’s because it’s the world’s first extended-range electric minibus that also runs on bioethanol.

It’s called the Volare Attack 9 and debuted at Brazil’s Lat.Bus 2024 Expo with an EREV powertrain developed by Renault and Geely’s Horse joint venture that came into existence earlier this year.

Gallery: Volare Attack 9 Hibrido EREV ethanol bus

Volare Attack 9 Hibrido

Source: HORSE Powertrain

Based on the regular Attack 9 that’s been on sale for a good number of years in several configurations, including for ferrying school children and urban and regional routes with up to 32 passengers, the EREV ethanol version ditches the diesel engine for a more eco-friendly approach.

Instead of the 3.8- or 4.7-liter diesel lump, there’s a tiny 1.0-liter turbo-charged three-cylinder buzzing away under the hood. But as with the Ram 1500 Ramcharger and the BMW i3 range-extender before it, the combustion engine is not connected to the wheels in any way. The ethanol-burning power source turns a generator that provides electricity to a 120-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery located under the floor.

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Then, energy from the battery goes to an electric motor with a maximum output of 100 horsepower and 667 pound-feet of torque. While the power figure is lower than that of the diesel versions (which have 162 hp or 180 hp), the electric motor’s torque is right between the two (which offer 610 lb-ft and 745 lb-ft respectively).

Built by Marcopolo, the largest bus manufacturer in South America, the Volare Attack 9 Hibrido, as it’s marketed in Brazil, has a 200-liter ethanol tank and a maximum range of 280 miles. Horse, the powertrain spinoff, said that the bus can also be recharged using a domestic or public charger, but didn’t offer details about the charging speed. Sales of the ethanol-burning EREV bus are scheduled to begin in 2026.

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