Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), the British bus manufacturer, has announced that it will expand its electric bus production by building the new Enviro400EV double-decker model at its headquarters in Larbert, Scotland, starting August 2023. The company will convert existing warehouse space into production lines to accommodate the new model, increasing the number of production sites from two to three.
Paul Davies, President and Managing Director of Alexander Dennis, explains that the company has been focused on a modernization agenda for the past couple of years, underpinned by significant investment in people, products, and facilities. “We not only need to future-proof our manufacturing capabilities for the ZEvolution, but we also need to ensure that we create the best possible working environment in which our people can excel,” he says.
The company will unveil the new double-decker model in autumn 2022. It offers space for 96 passengers and has a range of up to 260 miles (around 418 kilometres) with the NMC battery, which is up to 472 kWh in size. The model, however, is fundamentally different from the one previously marketed as the Enviro400EV by the BYD and ADL cooperation and is designed without BYD involvement.
While ADL has not mentioned a production capacity for Larbert or the model as a whole in its announcement, the move is expected to increase the production capacity for electric double-decker buses. The Larbert site has so far built Enviro400FCEV fuel cell buses as part of a pilot program, but the new series production in the former warehouses will focus on the battery version due to demand.
See also: Stagecoach Orders 55 Battery-Electric Buses from Alexander Dennis
The additional production at ADL’s headquarters in Larbert is part of a larger rebuild of the site. The company has already completed necessary work to redesign office space to make it more flexible, in line with the standard hybrid working approach at ADL.
