The work, which was undertaken at UTAC’s approved test facility at Millbrook Proving Ground, confirms an average energy consumption of just 0.67kWh/km across the UK Bus Cycle. This makes the next-generation Enviro400EV the most efficient battery-electric double decker tested to Zemo Partnership standards to date, delivering a 10% efficiency advantage over competitors’ vehicles of comparable battery size.
The UK Bus Cycle represents a mix of common operating conditions with separate phases modelled on inner urban, outer urban and rural routes. Thanks to its use of the heavy-duty version of the Voith Electrical Drive System, the Enviro400EV is extremely efficient across all parts of the cycle including the demanding inner urban element. This ensures operators will be able to minimise their energy costs even on highly intensive services in such as those in London, boosting value and keeping total cost of ownership low.
Combined with the Enviro400EV’s future-proof battery system, which is supplied by Impact Clean Power Technology and allows 88% of its 472kWh capacity to be used, the 0.67kWh/km energy consumption in the UK Bus Cycle gives the electric double decker a stunning theoretical operating range of up to 620km (385 miles) on a single charge.
Alexander Dennis uses automotive industry-standard modelling tools to calculate indicative illustrations of efficiency, range and battery degradation under real-world conditions for an operator’s specific routes. This multi-physics simulation is conducted in collaboration with operators and is the most reliable guide to actual performance on any given duty cycle, giving customers the peace of mind that their next-generation electric buses will perform as required.
This is further enhanced by whole-vehicle AD24 aftermarket support throughout the vehicles’ operational lives, including the ability to monitor actual vehicle performance using AD Connect telematics.
Alexander Dennis Group Engineering Director, Chris Gall, said: “Our next-generation Enviro400EV’s energy efficiency of 0.67kWh/km sets a new benchmark and is testament to Alexander Dennis’s lineage and strength in designing innovative products meeting the needs of the UK bus industry.
“The result demonstrates not just to the expertise of our fantastic engineering team who designed and developed the bus – it also confirms the efficacy of the system of zero-emission bus testing overseen by the Zemo Partnership. The process encourages us and our fellow UK manufacturers to continually raise the bar, bringing down customers’ operating costs through reduced energy consumption and ensuring the transition to zero-emission technology is both sustainable and profitable.”
The Zemo Partnership certifies vehicles following independent physical testing to ensure public money such as the UK Government’s Zero-Emission Regional Bus Areas (ZEBRA) or the Scottish Government’s Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB) supports proven zero-emission vehicle technologies that will perform in service. The certificates provide an independent means for operators to compare different suppliers and technologies on a like-for-like basis.
In addition to demonstrating the Enviro400EV’s exceptional energy efficiency, its zero-emission bus certification also confirms that its well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions when charged with UK grid electricity are 84% lower than those of an average Euro VI diesel equivalent vehicle. This allows the next-generation Alexander Dennis electric bus to deliver a substantial net reduction in lifecycle carbon emissions.
Over 150 next-generation Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV have been sold to date to customers including Stagecoach and Transdev, with deliveries of the first completed vehicles now imminent.
