Bus Manufacturer News & Discussion

[Mikey C]

The other thing is that in many European countries it is seen as bad form for the bus not to be able to climb hills at same speed as cars. If get a queue behind due to going slow effectively emphasising the bus is inferior.

It is all part of a different mentality of bus not being seen as transport of last resort, so quality (no rattles) is seen as more important than dirt cheap fares.

But then a lot of urban areas have reduced speed limits, so extra power is pointless if the speed limit is 20mph or similar!

 

[TRAX]

But then a lot of urban areas have reduced speed limits, so extra power is pointless if the speed limit is 20mph or similar!

Well precisely, less speed means you have less momentum going up hill so you need more grunt to climb, especially after slowing down for obstacles or stops

 

[dmncf]

It's not exactly news, but Arrival have released a video about achieving certification.

If their bus is half as good as their publicity machine, it'll be great!

 

[Snow1964]

Van Hool has confirmed that it’s new A series zero emission buses will be offered in UK market

Available in 4 lengths 12.2m, 13.5m, 18.2m (articulated),
24.7m (double-artic)

Van Hool will make its newly unveiled A range of zero-emission single-deck buses available in the UK market, a spokesperson has confirmed.

The modular platform has been launched in battery-electric format, and the manufacturer will follow that with hydrogen fuel cell-electric power. A trolleybus variant completes the line-up, which will be available at nominal lengths of 12, 13, 18 and 24m.

A 12.2m A12 in left-hand drive three-door format with battery-electric power was displayed at European Mobility Expo in Paris early in June. In that form, the model has NMC batteries from Akasol offering a capacity of 490kW/h, and ZF axles, including hub motors as part of the AVE 130 drive unit.

Van Hool says the unladen weight of the bus in question is in the region of 13,000kg. It can seat a maximum of 41 passengers. The OEM adds that 13 orders from customers in Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany are already in hand for 162 members of the A range. Those include battery- and hydrogen fuel cell-electric models.

Chief Executive Filip Van Hool notes that with launch of the A range, the Belgian company is ready “more than ever” to play a part in the European bus market. Van Hool’s intention “was to develop a platform that is comfortable, safe, timeless and sustainable” and which suits both urban and regional requirements, he adds.

“Our aim was to present an integrated new range to meet the high expectations of transport companies, drivers and passengers. The new interior and exterior design and the choice of three different powertrains were linked, on the one hand, to the international experience that we have built up over the past few decades and, on the other, to the challenges that public transport companies will face over coming years.”

Van Hool says that a modular fastening system on the roof of the A range will allow upgrades of items such as batteries, air-conditioning units and control systems. The manufacturer adds that heat pump technology in the climate control system and recovery of waste heat from the traction equipment will contribute to energy efficiency

Van Hool A-range of ZE buses to be offered in UK - routeone

The newly launched Van Hool A range of zero-emission buses will be offered in the UK, the manufacturer has confirmed.

www.route-one.net

Public transport | Van Hool

www.vanhool.com

 

[Blindtraveler]

This is good news, another potential competitor in the market. I have to say that having now topped up a good few miles on them, I am unimpressed with the byd d&a DL product, I suppose this shouldn't be a surprise as I don't like generally any buses that they build but have a good deal more time for the plaxton coach range and so very interested in any alternatives to this

 

[Jordan Adam]

Van Hool has confirmed that it’s new A series zero emission buses will be offered in UK market

Available in 4 lengths 12.2m, 13.5m, 18.2m (articulated),
24.7m (double-artic)

Van Hool A-range of ZE buses to be offered in UK - routeone

The newly launched Van Hool A range of zero-emission buses will be offered in the UK, the manufacturer has confirmed.

www.route-one.net

Public transport | Van Hool

www.vanhool.com

Hopefully the reliability and aftercare is better than the previous A Series zero emission buses they built for the UK!

 

[scosutsut]

Alexander Dennis have launched a rebrand, it appears limited to just their logos and corporate speak.

Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is Britain’s biggest bus builder and the world’s largest manufacturer of double deck buses with a strong presence in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. Alexander Dennis offers a full range of coaches under the...

www.alexander-dennis.com

Agility and innovation front and centre of vibrant new Alexander Dennis brand identity​

Published: 15 Jun 2022​

Alexander Dennis (Alexander Dennis Limited, “ADL”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, today launched a vibrant new brand identity that emphasises the company’s agility and innovation as it continues to lead the transition to zero emission mobility.

New logos reinvigorate the established and well-loved Alexander Dennis and Plaxton brands, supported by a cohesive and crisp visual identity across all brand touchpoints. AD24 becomes the name for all the manufacturer’s best-in-class Aftermarket support, including spare parts, field service, call centres, workshops and training, as well as the online platform providing access to them.

The new Alexander Dennis brand identity characterises an automotive company that is at the forefront of its industry and firmly looking ahead. The lively colour gradient of the monogram symbolises Alexander Dennis’s unique ability to respond to customers’ individual requirements, while the wordmark acknowledges the heritage of the company name and recasts it in contemporary style befitting of the British bus industry’s innovation leader.

Alexander Dennis President and Managing Director Paul Davies said: “This is a defining moment for Alexander Dennis as we position ourselves even more clearly to our customers, suppliers and stakeholders.

“Our new brand identity sets out the values by which we measure ourselves. We exist to move people by designing, manufacturing and supporting the most reliable buses and coaches in the market. We use technology to be cleaner, greener, quieter and the choice for transport companies around the world. Our strong heritage proves that we will continue to deliver, time and time again.”

Development of the new brand identity was led by Group Marketing Executive Marina Matošević: “Over the past year, we’ve had a very collaborative process involving team members across the entire business in which we analysed and determined who we will be as a company in the next ten to twenty years. This forward-looking spirit is distilled in our new identity.

“We have assembled a brilliant team of brand ambassadors in every business function who will support colleagues in the roll-out, and if their excitement is anything to go by, this new brand identity will be the start of a brand new chapter for Alexander Dennis as we continue to ensure that investment in cleaner transport benefits our communities as much as the environment.”

The refreshed Alexander Dennis, Plaxton and AD24 logos will be rolled out gradually over the coming months, replacing the existing identity that had been in place since Alexander Dennis was established in 2004.

TL;DR: we have a new logo, yay

 

[py_megapixel]

Alexander Dennis have launched a rebrand, it appears limited to just their logos and corporate speak.

Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is Britain’s biggest bus builder and the world’s largest manufacturer of double deck buses with a strong presence in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. Alexander Dennis offers a full range of coaches under the...

www.alexander-dennis.com

TL;DR: we have a new logo, yay

Weird that they've chosen to abbreviate their name in the logo to just "AD" when they always seem to have called themselves "ADL"

 

[hst43102]

Weird that they've chosen to abbreviate their name in the logo to just "AD" when they always seem to have called themselves "ADL"

What does the L stand for? Limited?

 

[MCR247]

What does the L stand for? Limited?

Yes that’s it

 

[Volvodart]

Mellor sees strong demand for all-electric Sigma range

Shuttlebus and Dumfries and Galloway Council are presumably the 5 and 4 buses respectively that they recently were awarded Scottish Government funding towards their purchase.

https://www.mellorbus.com/latest-news/mellor-sees-strong-demand-for-all-electric-sigma-range/

Mellor, the Rochdale-based manufacturer of size-appropriate buses, has seen strong initial demand for its innovative new Sigma range of zero-emission models. The firm, which last December unveiled the widest range of electric buses from a single manufacturer in Europe, has secured orders from UK and Europe-based operators that span the entire Sigma line-up.

Sales secured through competitive tender processes include Sigma 7 and Sigma 9 High Floor buses for the London Borough of Islington, Sigma 8 buses for Shuttlebus, Sigma 10 buses for Dumfries and Galloway Council, and Sigma 7 bus for Pinewoods Holiday Parks.

With configurability a key appeal for Sigma customers, Mellor has worked with the London Borough of Islington to develop a high-floor version of the Sigma platform for use on specific routes.
Mark Clissett, Sales Director, said:

“The demand we’ve seen for Sigma since its launch at the end of last year, and following the customer demonstration days at Millbrook in March, has been very encouraging. We launched Sigma to provide operators with a zero-compromise, zero-emissions bus range that is highly configurable to their requirements. The breadth and diversity of the orders we’ve received so far is testament to the need for a model like Sigma in the marketplace.”

The Mellor Sigma line-up is comprised of six models with overall lengths from 7 to 12-metres, ‘city’ and ‘rural’ specifications, and a broad array of specification options that broaden the range to more than 20 variants. Sigma’s lightweight construction, size-appropriate design, and efficient battery-electric powertrain, combined with a three-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, five-year battery warranty, and 15-year structural warranty, provides operators with a whole-life package that delivers an impressively low total cost of ownership

 

[py_megapixel]

Mellor sees strong demand for all-electric Sigma range

Shuttlebus and Dumfries and Galloway Council are presumably the 5 and 4 buses respectively that they recently were awarded Scottish Government funding towards their purchase.

https://www.mellorbus.com/latest-news/mellor-sees-strong-demand-for-all-electric-sigma-range/

I love the phrasing of that. "Rochdale-based manufacturer of size-appropriate buses". Makes it sound like all the other manufacturers produce buses that are completely inappropriately sized to be used as a bus...

 

[Mikey C]

I love the phrasing of that. "Rochdale-based manufacturer of size-appropriate buses". Makes it sound like all the other manufacturers produce buses that are completely inappropriately sized to be used as a bus...

Yes, ADL only produce 100m long buses, whereas Volvo only produce 2m long buses, unlike Mellor with its size-appropriate buses

 

[Kernow Dave]

That is one very long bus and a surprisingly short one.

 

[GusB]

That is one very long bus and a surprisingly short one.

I'm waiting for their forthcoming 1000m bus. It's ideal for short hops and encourages active travel at the same time, the idea being that the passenger boards at one end and alights at the other, while the bus doesn't move at all. It's incredibly efficient and completely driverless too...

 

[MotCO]

I'm waiting for their forthcoming 1000m bus. It's ideal for short hops and encourages active travel at the same time, the idea being that the passenger boards at one end and alights at the other, while the bus doesn't move at all. It's incredibly efficient and completely driverless too...

Don't suggest it to Sadiq Khan, or he may propose it for London!

 

[TRAX]

I'm waiting for their forthcoming 1000m bus. It's ideal for short hops and encourages active travel at the same time, the idea being that the passenger boards at one end and alights at the other, while the bus doesn't move at all. It's incredibly efficient and completely driverless too...

Ah yes, the Enviro1000

 

[ClydeCoaster]

Is the Sigma range actually manufactured in the UK or are they Chinese kits? I've never seen a definitive answer.

 

[GusB]

Mellor are picking up quite a few orders.

Mellor Sigma orders placed in UK and mainland Europe - routeone

Mellor has announced the first orders in both the UK and mainland Europe for its Sigma battery-electric bus range

www.route-one.net

Mellor Sigma orders placed in UK and mainland Europe
routeone / by Tim Deakin / July 19, 2022 at 06:26AM

Mellor has announced several customer orders for its Sigma battery-electric bus range. They are from buyers in the UK and other European countries and “span the entire Sigma line-up,” the Rochdale manufacturer says.
A combined 47 orders have been taken from two unnamed customers elsewhere in Europe, while Mellor says that in the UK, it has confirmed sales to the following buyers:

• Pinewoods Holiday Parks: One Sigma 7
• London Borough of Islington: Multiple Sigma 7, and Sigma 9 high-floor
• An operator described as “Shuttlebus”: Multiple Sigma 8
• Dumfries and Galloway Council: Multiple Sigma 10.

Mellor has worked with the London Borough of Islington to develop a high-floor version of the Sigma platform, leading to an order from that customer for the Sigma 9 to such a layout.
The OEM has not confirmed where the customers in mainland Europe are located, but earlier in July it named Hamburg-based Jebsen and Jessen Industrial Solutions as its distribution partner for battery-electric vehicles in Austria and Germany.

 

[ajrm]

Is the Sigma range actually manufactured in the UK or are they Chinese kits? I've never seen a definitive answer.

There's a detailed article in the February 2022 edition of Buses magazine which confirms that it's designed by Mellor's engineers in the UK, manufactured in China and 'finished' ('detailing and finishing, the installation of doors, seats and rails, sales orders and engineering matters') in the UK.

 

[fgwrich]

Alexander Dennis have launched a rebrand, it appears limited to just their logos and corporate speak.

Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is Britain’s biggest bus builder and the world’s largest manufacturer of double deck buses with a strong presence in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. Alexander Dennis offers a full range of coaches under the...

www.alexander-dennis.com

TL;DR: we have a new logo, yay

Not sure why it needs the extra bit in the D, but it's not a bad effort (and at least they haven't gone down the route of the utterly stupid Optare > Switch). But I'm pleased to see the back of the rather annoying balloon type logo.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Not sure why it needs the extra bit in the D, but it's not a bad effort (and at least they haven't gone down the route of the utterly stupid Optare > Switch). But I'm pleased to see the back of the rather annoying balloon type logo.

The font used for the wordmark doesn't suit the logo, so it looks off and just wrong.

 

[F Great Eastern]

The font looks incredibly dated.

 

[Mikey C]

Next Monday's Inside the Factory (BBC2) visits ADL/Plaxton to see (I assume) how the E400EV is made

BBC Two - Inside the Factory, Series 7, Buses

Gregg Wallace gets exclusive access to a factory that builds red London buses.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mikey C]

I thought that was very interesting. They went to Scarborough rather than Scotland, are all E400EVs made there?

 

[randyrippley]

There's a detailed article in the February 2022 edition of Buses magazine which confirms that it's designed by Mellor's engineers in the UK, manufactured in China and 'finished' ('detailing and finishing, the installation of doors, seats and rails, sales orders and engineering matters') in the UK.

Importing it unfinished probably results in a lower rate of import duty
Also enables it to be marketed into Europe as British, not Chinese so evading any possible import limits

 

[Tom Gallacher]

I thought that was very interesting. They went to Scarborough rather than Scotland, are all E400EVs made there?

I don't think that all of them are but for any bound for London it would make sense as they would need 2 charges to get down there from Falkirk. I'm dropping my car off on Monday at the garage adjoining the Falkirk plant so I'll see what's in the yard and let you know.

 

[GusB]

I'm finally catching up with my news feeds having had a rather lengthy internet outage. There's nothing announced on the ADL website so far, so take this with as much salt as you need!

Alexander Dennis to offer smaller zero-emission bus - routeone

A smaller zero-emission bus forms part of 'an aggressive bew product development agenda' for Alexander Dennis, the OEM has said.

www.route-one.net

Alexander Dennis is set to introduce “an exciting new product” to align with an agenda item in Scotland’s Pathway to Zero Emission Buses that calls for an increase in the supply of smaller vehicles in that sphere, the manufacturer has said.

It will form part of plans to introduce new zero-emission models in battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell-electric fields. The OEM revealed that work on 10 August at the launch of the Pathway at its headquarters in Larbert, where it hosted the final meeting of the Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce. Among attendees was Scottish Government Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth.

While Alexander Dennis has not yet confirmed further information, it is understood that the small zero-emission product will be a built entirely in house and be more compact than the smallest battery-electric BYD ADL Enviro200EV, which is 9.6m long. Further details are not in the public domain, but it has been suggested that the model will form part of an expanded Enviro EV range.

 

[MotCO]

I'm finally catching up with my news feeds having had a rather lengthy internet outage. There's nothing announced on the ADL website so far, so take this with as much salt as you need!

Alexander Dennis to offer smaller zero-emission bus - routeone

A smaller zero-emission bus forms part of 'an aggressive bew product development agenda' for Alexander Dennis, the OEM has said.

www.route-one.net

At the moment, I believe that only Switch offer an EV bus in the sub-9 metre market, suitable for replacing the smaller minibuses, such as the Orpington 'Roundabout' routes, although Mellor have recently entered the market. I always felt that this was a missing segment for ADL, although it is possible the profit margins on such small vehicles are such that it is not a viable market. I also thought that this may be a market Switch could exploit, but they may have missed the boat.

 

[Tom Gallacher]

I don't think that all of them are but for any bound for London it would make sense as they would need 2 charges to get down there from Falkirk. I'm dropping my car off on Monday at the garage adjoining the Falkirk plant so I'll see what's in the yard and let you know.

Just back from Falkirk and I can confirm that electric buses bound for London are being bodied there. I noticed two in the parking area that had reg no's applied to them, they are LG22AXS which is bound for Metroline with fleet number BDE2761 and LG72DNO, fleet no Ee70 which is for Go Ahead.