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Vincent Bolloré and Patrick Gruau signed an agreement last February to develop electric, hybrid and ICE versions of the the Gruau Microbus. €10 million will be invested in the joint venture. The Microbus Gruau Électrique will use Bolore’s lithium-polymer batteries as well as ultracapacitors developed by Batscap, a Bolloré subsidiary. The electric Microbus will hit the marketplace during the second half of 2009.
Gruau already offers the current ICE-powered Microbus in France, with up to 150 examples servicing thirty towns. An electric version with a range of 120 km (75 miles) was tested in Nantes in 2005. Bolloré and Gruau expect their EV bus to comprise two-thirds of future sales when it arrives next year.
[Source: Le Blog Auto]