Stagecoach is first to take next-gen Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV
Alexander Dennis has delivered the first example of its in-house battery-electric bus range to a UK customer with the arrival of an Enviro400EV with Stagecoach in Oxfordshire.
The bus is the first of 55 for the operator that are part-funded by a successful bid by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to the first round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme. It carries a new green and blue-based livery with Electro branding.
All of the buses will be used on urban services in Oxford as part of work to fully electrify local bus routes operated in the city’s Smart Zone. That work is a partnership with OCC and Go-Ahead Group subsidiary Oxford Bus Company.
Service entry of the Enviro400EV fleet will come later in the spring when infrastructure installation is complete, although driver training on the type will begin shortly. Each bus will be 11.1m long and 4.2m high, and seat 69 passengers with an overall capacity of 83.
Two wheelchair user spaces will be provided along with high-backed seats including USB-A and USB-C charging points. With 472kWh of energy storage, the Enviro400EV was recently certified by Zemo Partnership as the most energy efficient battery-electric double-decker on the market.
Speaking about arrival of the first bus, Stagecoach Chief Operating Officer Sam Greer says: “With a network that spans the UK, the incorporation of the new Enviro400EVs into our fleet in Oxfordshire reaffirms our commitment to our customers’ experience.
“Being the first operator to receive these next-generation buses brings us a step closer to realising our goal of being fully net-zero and we will continue to build on our work to tackle climate change and become more energy efficient.”
Adds Alexander Dennis President and Managing Director Paul Davies: “The delivery of our first next-generation electric bus in the UK is a milestone in the rollout of our new product range, and we are delighted to be marking this moment with our launch customer Stagecoach.
“These buses will be driving value through efficiency with class-leading energy consumption as well as through their futureproof battery system, which is designed to last a 20-year life of a double-deck bus in provincial operation with just one change of batteries.
“We are grateful for Stagecoach’s trust in us and for its support as we continue to develop our range of next-generation zero-emission vehicles.”
Alexander Dennis has already supplied the next-generation Enviro500EV in Hong Kong, while UK orders are in hand for its small Enviro100EV single-decker. A larger Enviro200EV single-deck will follow later, the manufacturer previously confirmed.
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Alexander Dennis ups warrantable battery energy throughputs
Alexander Dennis has upped the warrantable energy throughput for the traction battery packs fitted to the Enviro100EV and Enviro400EV next-generation buses in a move that it says draws “on the versatility of NMC cell chemistry.”
When either model is equipped with 354kWh of battery capacity, the warranted energy throughput – which includes regeneration – can be 1.2GWh over eight years. For the Enviro400EV with 472kWh of batteries, that figure is 1.6GWh, while the Enviro100EV in 236kWh form has a warrantable throughput of 800,000kWh.
Upon debut of both models in November 2023, Alexander Dennis said that the 472kWh battery configuration then had an overall energy throughput of 1.4GWh before replacement would be required at 70% of original capacity. At that time, it believed that 1.4GWh was 40% higher than any competitor vehicle.
Group Sales and Business Development Director Ben Werth says that energy throughput is “critical” to calculating the longevity of batteries. Upping of the eight-year warrantable figures has come thanks to the use of multi-physics simulation modelling.
Adds Mr Werth: “The option to warrant higher intensity battery use is great news for operators planning to deploy electric buses on heavy-duty or high-mileage services.
“We are delighted to be driving value through longevity by giving our customers peace of mind that our next-generation electric buses will offer longer-term operational profitability.”
10- and 12-year battery warranty options are also available, Alexander Dennis says, with warranty lengths and warrantable throughputs tailored to suit the customer's needs.
Both buses use batteries supplied by Impact Clean Power Technologies. Alexander Dennis Group Engineering Director Chris Gall previously said that NMC chemistry was chosen because of a requirement for slim battery packs to fit within the chassis.
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