Unvi is the world’s largest manufacturer of city tour buses with a reputation for custom-built vehicles. The Spaniards have chosen experienced component manufacturers as partners: BMZ for the batteries, Ziehl-Abegg Automotive for the powertrain and SAV Studio for the system integration.
The challenge posed by open-top, double-decker buses is enormous: since they don’t have a roof, it’s impossible to position any batteries on the top of the vehicle. “Since our drive unit is the most efficient in the world, the battery packs can be smaller than with any other motor concepts,” says Arnold.
Notwithstanding the legal requirements, there are significant disadvantages with diesel sightseeing buses compared to electrically powered buses: because the constant starting and stopping puts a great strain on the both the engine and gearbox, is very heavy on fuel consumption and the energy is completely dissipated during braking – in electric buses by contrast, the braking energy is used to recharge the battery.
The electric, open-top, double-decker bus which has started operating in London is 12 metres long and has twin axles. Inside the bus there is seating for 75 people. The vehicle is designed for a range of 150 kilometres so the key performance data is the same as on a conventionally-powered city tour bus – but with enormous advantages in terms of noise and emission levels.
Ronan Bois, business unit director for sightseeing at RATP Dev, emphasises: “Every day, people rely on us for discovering the best of the world’s most iconic cities and we’re investing in innovation for a new type of sightseeing bus. We’re proud to be the first sightseeing network to introduce a 100% electric bus in London” and adds: “this marks another important step in the RATP Group’s commitment to energy transition. Its success is due to a strong partnership between the team at ‘The Original Tour London’ and four European manufacturers, including Ziehl-Abegg which developed the electric powertrain system.”
In the current year, new open-top, double-decker buses for city tours have already been put into service in Paris and Amsterdam. Arnold is pleased to state that “our electric drive ZAwheel is available for the operators of hop-on/hop-off lines for new vehicles or for retrofitting”. An open-top, double-decker bus from the year 1975 which will roll quietly through the streets of Berlin thanks to ZAwheel, went on display for the first time at the IAA Commercial Vehicles trade fair.
