The Metrodecker next generation EV carries more than 94 passengers with an unladen weight of just over 11 tonnes and a gvw of 18 tonnes. The Metrocity EV carries up to 60 passengers with an unladen weight of less than 9 tonnes and a gvw of 13 tonnes.
Richard Bulter, Optare’s CEO, said: “The vehicles we are launching today are the culmination of almost a decade of pioneering electric bus design and development.
“In 2009 our first single-deck electric buses delivered 60 miles on a single charge with diesel heating. An electric double-deck was a dream a decade ago. Today, I stand in front of a single-deck and a double-deck electric bus that can both deliver more than 150 miles on a single charge with fully electric zero-emission heating without compromise.”
He added: “We are proud that these buses appear no different to their electric predecessors or diesel counterparts – it’s the innovation you can’t see that is game changing.
“We now have a bus that can deliver a full day’s zero-emission service on a single charge all year round with no impact on capacity.”
Also on display at the NEC are the Solo xFE and Versa xFE demonstrators, with Optare claiming to be the first OEM to integrate Allison’s xFE fuel-saving transmission into all single-deck buses as standard.