Wrightbus has unveiled two new buses from its 'Electrocity' range ' the StreetAir EV wheel forward (WF) and the longer StreetAir EV door forward (DF).
The 9.5m long Streetair EV WF, which has recently been on a demonstration tour in Europe, builds upon more than two and a half years' in-service experience with a plug-in bus. The 13 tonne vehicle was first shown on the Wrights Group stand at Euro Bus Expo in 2012 and has since undergone two driveline upgrades.
The 10.6m long Wrightbus Streetair EV DF is an 18 tonne plug-in electric vehicle with zero emissions which is based on the current StreetDeck chassis and will come in both single decker and double decker versions.
Both the Streetair EV WF and Streetair EV DF models will be available with all three main charging options: overnight (plug-in), inductive (as currently operated in a Milton Keynes trial) and conductive (pantograph) charging.
By using a modular build process, Wrightbus can offer the three different vehicle charging and battery configurations on the same platform, encouraging standardisation across a vehicle fleet and optimising aftermarket support.
Both vehicles are part of a demonstration programme running throughout 2016 and 2017, with production scheduled to start in 2017.
Dr William Wright CBE, who heads the alternative driveline division at Wrightbus, said: 'Our philosophy is to provide a range of fully flexible products, particularly in relation to the charging methodology, while built on standard product platforms.
'This way, the customer can decide which type of technology and format best suits their requirements and those of the location in which they operate, rather than being dictated by us, the manufacturer.
'Our team is able to advise and support them to create a bespoke offering which is specifically tailored to their individual requirements and operations'
