Westway Coaches, one of the leading coach companies in the UK, has partnered with British electric drive specialist Equipmake to accelerate the electrification process of its fleet. The plan is to retrofit a proportion of its existing diesel coaches with Equipmake’s state-of-the-art drivetrain technology, which comprises a 545 kWh battery pack, an electric motor, an inverter, and an efficiency-maximising HVAC system.
Equipmake’s CEP Ian Foley highlights that repowering is an important and cost-effective technology that bridges the gap between diesel and a new electric coach fleet. It upcycles a perfectly good vehicle in the most cost-effective way, making sense for any size of fleet and solves the conundrum faced by operators who may only be part-way through the lifecycle of a vehicle, enabling them to transition without resorting to the financial burden of a new electric coach.
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The retrofit is not only cheaper than buying a new electric bus but also quicker. “Once a first vehicle has been developed, further retrofits can be completed over the course of a few days – against a year or more for the delivery of new electric coaches,” says Equipmake in a press release. This will provide Westway Coaches with a more cost-effective solution and reduce its carbon footprint.
The first vehicle to undergo retrofitting is a Van Hool T917, and prototype testing is scheduled to start in Q3 2023. After successful testing, more buses will be electrified.
Equipmake has already converted double-decker buses to electric drives following an order for 12 buses from York. The company has also launched a next-gen silicon carbide inverter that can deliver a step-change in the performance of electric vehicles. Its Ampere-220 electric axle drive, designed for manufacturers of high-performance electric vehicles, combines either one or two 220-kW motors with all power electronics, including silicon carbide inverters and gearboxes, in a single unit.
Moreover, the coaches can be charged with 100 kW, making it easier to recharge their batteries during stops that are often 30 minutes or longer. The company also highlights that an electric coach could present a Vehicle 2 Grid (V2G) opportunity.
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It is not clear exactly how many vehicles will be converted, but Westway Coaches’ partnership with Equipmake highlights the importance of repowering as a cost-effective and quicker solution to retrofitting electric drives. As the world moves towards net-zero, it is imperative for the transport industry to reduce its carbon footprint, and the electrification of buses is a significant step in the right direction.