Equipmake anticipates strong global demand for the electric bus chassis – EBus, it says, will enable any bus coachbuilder to become a full electric bus maker “almost overnight”.
Final testing is almost complete for the single-decker EBus platform; in-service trials begin early next year with Agrale, a Brazilian commercial vehicle manufacturer. Agrale plans to launch the electric bus in Buenos Aires in 2021.
Onboard heating and cooling system developments mean the bus – a 12m single-deck model capable of carrying 70 passengers – will have sufficient range for a full day’s service. Recharging takes around five hours with a standard three-phase supply.
The chassis incorporates Equipmake’s APM200 compact, lightweight ‘spoke’ electric motor. Said to be one of the highest power/torque dense production automotive electric motors in the world, the motor also powers the Ariel HIPERCAR, a range-extended electric sports car.
Equipmake’s new factory was opened last week (6 December) by Liz Truss, international trade secretary. The EBus is a £7.5 million project funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
Ian Foley, managing director of Equipmake, says the EBus chassis is cost effective, predicting it will be cheaper to run than a conventional diesel within eight to ten years.
He adds: “Manufacture of the powertrain will scale dramatically over the next few years and our target is 700 EBus chassis for South America alone in the first year of production.”