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Cardiff's new environmentally friendly electric bus is powered by a charger which runs on diesel, it has been revealed.

The electric bus - the first of its kind in Wales - will begin running in the city this weekend as part of an eight-week trial.

But the large charging station for the bus, next to Alexandra Gardens in Cathays Park , is actually being powered by a diesel generator.

The Volvo 7900E vehicle will take passengers on the regular Route Six, which runs from the capital's civic centre, city centre and Cardiff Bay, starting from this bank holiday weekend.

(Image: Welsh Government)

It is being run in a joint venture between the Welsh Government, Cardiff Council, Cardiff Bus, Volvo and manufacturer ABB - which made the charging station.

Volvo Bus and ABB are covering the costs of the vehicle, the infrastructure, its transport and commissioning and the fuel for the generator.

The project aims to provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly form of public transport.

If the pilot is successful it could be rolled out on a wider scale.

(Image: Mark Lewis)

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "The diesel generator is not a permanent fixture and is used solely for the trial as a temporary connection to the electricity network is not possible.

"When electric buses are fully introduced, the charging points will be permanent and charged directly from the mains, with no generator required."

The Welsh Government added the generator is a stage 4 emission stage compliant generator giving the best performance in terms of emissions.

The generator has also been fitted with a stop start facility, the vehicle communicates with the generator when it reaches it and it operates only when charging and shuts down again once the vehicle has left the charger.