Switch Mobility to invest £300m in UK and India
Switch Mobility has announced an investment of over £300m in the UK and India as part of its work to become “a market leader” in zero-carbon segments, including battery-electric buses.
That money is expected to create over 4,000 skilled jobs across both countries and it will see a technical centre in Warwick open in June. The news was confirmed on 21 April at the time of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to India. It follows the recent announcement by Switch of a 12m battery-electric bus that has been designed for mainland European and APAC markets.
The Warwick technical centre will capture “over 130” of the new skilled jobs and it will serve as the focal point of Switch’s global research and development team. It will be led by Chief Technology Officer Roger Blakey and focus on the development of Switch’s next-generation vehicles. The Warwick facility will work closely with Switch's existing R&D offices in Chennai, Leeds and Valladolid.
Says Switch Mobility Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja: “We are delighted that the Prime Minister has commended the investment that Switch is making to become a leader in electric transportation as an example of the benefits of UK-India collaboration.
“Since forming Switch Mobility over a year ago, we have seen the pace of change to electric vehicles for public and commercial transportation increase significantly. With a strong order book of nearly 600 buses and ambitious investment plans already in place, we believe we are well placed to capitalise in this growth.
“The new 12m bus has been designed specifically taking into account the requirements of the Indian market and delivering a range of up to 300km.”
Full-size autonomous bus testing commences in Scotland
Stagecoach has begun on-road testing for the CAVForth autonomous bus pilot in Scotland in preparation for the service's first passengers later this year.
Testing will take place over the next two weeks in partnership with Fusion Processing, Alexander Dennis and Transport Scotland. It comes after successful depot-based trials, track testing and virtual simulation to "fine tune" the vehicles' autonomous drive systems.
The pilot service will eventually see five self-driving ADL Enviro200 single-deck buses operating at The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 4 autonomous (where a vehicle can operate autonomously under specific conditions) over the Forth Road Bridge between the Ferrytoll Park and Ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park train and tram interchange. Each bus is expected to eventually carry up to 36 passengers over the 14-mile journey involving a crossing of the bridge, with capacity for 10,000 passengers per week.
The buses use Fusion Processing's CAVStar sensor and control technology. It allows them to run on pre-selected roads without driver intervention. More than 20 "autonomous bus professionals" will be recruited by Stagecoach from its East Scotland business to support the project. Those drivers will monitor the system alongside a "captain" who will communicate with passengers and demonstrate how future services will work when a staff member is able to leave the cab. Stagecoach says future autonomous bus services will have a member of staff on board to ensure passenger confidence.
To further support the project, Transport Scotland has opened a section of hard shoulder for buses on the eastbound M8 Motorway which it says will help reduce journey times and improve journey time reliability for all buses of 24 seats or more approaching Edinburgh.
"This is a hugely exciting project for Scotland and we are pleased to be starting live testing on roads today," says Sam Greer, Regional Director for Stagecoach in Scotland. "This is a major step forward in our journey to fully launch the UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus service and will provide easy access to a brand new bus route in the heart of East Scotland."
Adds Chris Gall, ADL Group Engineering Director: "Today’s start of on-route testing is a milestone for our autonomous bus project. In partnership with Stagecoach, Fusion Processing and Transport Scotland, Project CAVForth helps us to explore new technologies that will make buses even safer and even more efficient. As we move towards passenger services later in the year, the project will be a landmark demonstration of future technologies in transport."
The Project CAVForth pilot is jointly funded by the UK government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and the project partners Fusion, ADL, Stagecoach and Transport Scotland.
Extended driveline warranty part of Temsa five-year ops lease
Extended driveline warranty support from WMS Group will form a key part of a five-year operating lease package offer on new Temsa coaches from Temsa Sales UK.
WMS Group will provide insurance-based driveline coverage in years three, four and five to complement the manufacturer’s warranty. It will also handle any associated administration services aligned with claims against its package.
The five-year operating lease model will be available on the MD9 and HD12 (pictured) and it will apply to any further vehicles that Temsa offers here. Regional Sales Manager – UK, Ireland and Malta Paul Gardner notes that coupling such a package to driveline warranty coverage throughout will provide “peace of mind” to customers.
Mr Gardner adds: “By partnering with WMS to offer this standout extended driveline warranty, we are able to provide a highly desirable and much needed lease package to our customers.
“Post-COVID-19, we are seeing new and emerging coach and bus operators starting out. By offering this outstanding product, they will be embarking on their journey knowing that their vehicles are protected for longer and that any expensive repairs and maintenance costs will be covered, allowing them to invest further in growing their businesses.”
Temsa International Sales Manager Aykan Cavlak adds that the Turkish manufacturer “has not reached the pinnacle” of its aspiration for the UK market. “We made it our purpose to address the fundamental aspects of a reliable commercial vehicle business early on, and WMS co-operation was one of these targeted actions that has been nurtured for a while.”
WMS Group Head of Commercial Vehicle Sales Mark Bobbins comments: “Our expertise across coach and bus, HGV and LCV is unrivalled and is only strengthened by the proven and outstanding level of customer service for which we are renowned.
"We are looking forward to embarking on this new and advanced partnership with Temsa and are excited to see what the future holds.”