Ian Downie, MD of Sales for Wrightbus, said: “We very much welcome the Government’s initiative to promote greener buses and are pleased to learn the details of the recent results announcement.

“The investment is not only good for the environment, it is also driving innovation across the industry.  At Wrightbus we believe we have taken the lead in producing cost efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles, while at the same time enhancing passenger experience.”

The Wrightbus range of Low Emission Bus complaint vehicles includes midi, single deck, double deck and a New Routemaster product.

A plug-in 9.5m length StreetAir EV, which has recently been on a demonstration tour in Europe, builds upon more than two and a half years’ in-service experience in Milton Keynes, where eight vehicles have already clocked up 800,000 miles on Europe’s longest electric vehicle route.

Now joining the StreetAir EV range is the 10.6m door forward version, which is based on the current StreetDeck chassis and will be the platform for both single deck and double deck variants at 10.6m lengths.

The StreetAir EV wheel forward (w/f) and the longer StreetAir EV door forward (d/f) range will be available with all three main charging options - overnight (plug-in), inductive (as currently in operation on the Milton Keynes trial with Arriva) and conductive (pantograph) charging. 

The electric offerings are comprised of a range of modular concepts, which have been designed and developed by the experienced Wrightbus alternative driveline business unit. This team has a proven pedigree in electric bus development and is dedicated to providing bus and coach operators with a comprehensive choice of green technology options, suitable for a wide range of applications, designed with efficient operations in mind.

Wrightbus has a rich heritage in developing cutting edge technology; recent examples of this are the New Routemaster hybrid-electric vehicles and the all-electric StreetAir EV’s with inductive power transfer (IPT). With more than 800 New Routemasters deployed on the streets of London, and the StreetAir EV with IPT vehicles having completed 800,000 miles to date, Wrightbus understands the requirements of electric vehicles, and more importantly, what technology is best suited for operational efficiency.

The operational demands of the vehicle route and capacity requirements will dictate the technology needed. By utilising a modular build process, Wrightbus is able to provide both single deck and double deck on the same platform, thus optimising aftermarket support.

The focus is on the vehicle charging and battery technology, which are interchangeable within the rear module.  The three different options available are:

• Overnight charging utilising Nickel Manganese Cobalt batteries, with a range of 150 miles or 18 hours of service. Suitable for single deck;
  
  
• Inductive power transfer (IPT) utilising Lithium ion batteries, with a range of 135 miles or 17 hours of service. The power is supplied through wirelessly transferred power from in ground charging coils, with charging time of less than 12 minutes. Suitable for both double and single deck;
  
  
• Conductive charging (fast charge) utilising Lithium ion batteries, with an infinite range and service, dependent upon charging stations. The power is supplied through on street Pantograph systems, fully charging the vehicles in less than seven minutes. Suitable for both double and single deck.

Speaking at a recent press briefing, Dr William Wright CBE, said: “Wrightbus has been delivering a wide range of low emission solutions for many years with options on different and innovative techniques.   We believe we have an unparalleled level of experience and capability in the design, development and deployment of electric buses in a number of different types of operation.

“We know that ‘one size does not fit all’ and it is important that customers have plenty of choice when selecting their vehicles and the distance/battery/passenger capacity equation is a difficult balancing act to achieve. We offer the widest and most flexible range of electric options available to bus operators and with our range already in build, we look forward to seeing our vehicles on the road in the coming months and years ahead.”

Ian Downie added: “We confirm we are in discussions with OLEV winning authorities and operators, and placement of any orders with us will be announced in due course upon completion.”