I went to Busworld to look at service buses. Buses for cities. I have little interest in coaches or inter-urban services, similarly I didn't look at the vast arrays of destination displays, seats, uniforms, lifts, engines, gearboxes, cleaning fluids, oils, and all the other things that make up a bus and coach operation that were seeking buyers.
The overarching theme of the city buses on display was operation by means other than diesel. Of these electric buses of various sorts were dominant. This part of the blog will look at just how many different interpretations of electric and systems for charging were on offer. Again, very little in the way of vehicles designed for the UK - being as they are all left hand drive - but I'll offer some thoughts as I go about applicability to the United Kingdom market.
In order to remember what I'd looked at (without making notes!) I also sought literature from the manufacturers' representatives on their stands. Some of the stands were very big glossy affairs, some less so. So were very willing to talk to anyone (especially when you told them you worked for Transport for London!), others less interested in Englishman. Some had copious leaflets on display, many had [one suspects agency provided] young ladies manning desks behind which literature was hidden, and to some you were their new best friend!
 |
| In alphabetical order of manufacturer we start with Bodgan. Bodgan are a Ukrainian manufacturer who rank as the most friendly, traditionally selling buses domestically and in former USSR, notably Russia and Georgia. Their reps bemoaned the war with Russia affecting sales, but were proud of the fact they had driven their pretty solid product all the way from Kiev. I suspect this model A70522 diesel-electric hybrid has no potential in the UK (although it is a Cummins ISB in the back so most British bus engineers will recognise it I think) but could have a 'low cost' appeal in central Europe. Nice people, good luck to them! |
 |
| Sileo is a brand that has been developed by Turkish manufacturer Bozankaya, but boy do they keep it quiet. Everything is branded Sileo, presumably aiming a product at the western European market, which has been a difficult market for the Turks to enter in any real numbers.The Sileo vehicles (rigid and articulated) have roof mounted batteries with a range of 'over' 200km and a 4 hour charge time. Technology probably isn't quite there for operators who put buses on the road for 20/hours a day. |
 |
| The first part of this blog showed the BYD electric double decker for London. BYD's other bus exhibit was this electric 18m articulated bus, which is offered with wither plug-in or pantograph charging. I hadn't appreciated the pantograph element at the show but there are some other examples of this later! |
 |
| Castrosua of Spain illustrated this 10m hybrid integral bus (they are usually a body builder) utilising Cummins and Siemens technology 'under floor'. It looks pretty ugly! |
 |
| Ebusco are a Dutch company who claim to be adapt vehicles from other manufacturers as well as start building their own. They displayed a 12m fully electric single decker, and claim a 100% charge in 1.6 hours with a 300+km range. The vehicle on display also carried Transdev fleet names so I assume it will be going on trial with a Trandev operation somewhere soon! |
 |
| Irizar of Spain brought their i2e plug-in electric bus. Nothing new here - one has been in service with London Central on the Red Arrow routes 507/521 for a few months now. Reading about a 6 hour charging time suggests I don't know enough about the different types of battery technology. |
 |
| Ahhhh King Long. Forever trying to sell in volume in Europe: the Maltese bought it but otherwise too cheap even for the cheapest of British operators. I'm not sure many UK operators will touch King Long after the issues with their previous UK agents. Somewhat dismissive salesman, who insists they will be in the UK next year. Nice pen and USB set from them though1 This King Long E12 is a combined plug-in and diesel-hybrid electric bus featuring a Cummins engine. |
 |
| King Long E12. How many buttons? This is the left side of the dash. I love the diagrams on the top row. |
 |
| More buttons, this is the right side of the dash. |
 |
| More buttons here than on an entire Dart! This is the side of the cab below the window. I forgot to photograph the steering wheel, which the King Long brochure shows with an additional 12 buttons. |
 |
| And two buttons worth focussing on. Snow might be useful. But, what single decker service bus needs a 'sport' button?? |
|
 |
| Citywide is the branding for Scania's range of Citybuses. The LE features a chonking great 9 litre engine and a fuel capacity of 300-400 litres. In my mind tht suggests it should run for days and days without refuelling, though the publicity is scant on detail about the eletric bits, and seems to rely a lot on bio-fuels. Suspect they are playing catch-up and prefer to be building nice heavyweight diesel city buses! |
 |
| A Solaris pure electric bus: pantograph charging is just visible. Probably the snobbiest stand! I've no idea what this is called, and although I'm assured they will never be sold in the UK, they have gone a but 'Borismaster' with the windscreen! |
 |
| But what a cab! Or, spaceship mission control :-) I think that would do my nut driving at night and I'd prefer a nice set of rocker switches. |
 |
| The Solaris electric bus also featured a simulator. Clearly for children, but I didn't crash in my brief play! |
 |
| The VDL Citea Electric offers a choice of electric hub motors or an electric driveline alongside a 4.5L Cummins diesel engine on a rigid or articulated chassis. I wonder if the electrics will make it to the UK with Arriva? |
 |
| The VDL Citea Electric also offers a pantograph charging option. |
 |
| Volvo also offer pantograph charging in their 7900 battery bus. |
 |
| Volvo also offer a diesel-electric hybrid version of their 7900m shown here in articulated form. |
|
| The last electric is the Yutong E12. Yutong are apparently the world's biggest bus manufacturer, and this left hand drive diesel/battery hybrid is for trial service in Paris. Of every Chinese bus I have been in this felt the most western, solid feeling interior, cab without a million buttons or blind strings and relatively modest looks. Yep the UK salesman is from Yorkshire and a right hand drive version is on the cards...... |
