All PressEquipmake, the UK developer and manufacturer of best-in-class electrification products for the provision of electric vehicle drivetrains, has agreed a partnership with a leading coach company to accelerate the repowering of its fleet.
Having firmly established its technology through multiple bus fleet repower agreements, Equipmake is expanding its electrification offering to the coach sector, collaborating with London-based Westway Coaches, which operates a wide range of luxury coaches and is an innovator in the market, being the only operator to run fully electric coaches.
The agreement will see Equipmake further accelerate the electrification of Westway Coaches’ fleet by converting a proportion of its existing diesel coaches to electric power with its state-of-the-art drivetrain technology.
The conversion of the first vehicle, a Van Hool T917, has begun at its headquarters in Snetterton, Norfolk, and in-service prototype testing is set to begin in Q3 with the objective that further Westway vehicles are repowered over the coming months.
Featuring a 545 kWh battery pack, alongside an electric motor, inverter and efficiency-maximising HVAC system, all developed in-house, Equipmake’s super-efficient, state-of-the-art Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED) is expected to give the repowered Van Hool T917 a range of up to 220 miles, making long distances entirely possible.
Ian Foley, CEO, Equipmake, said: “We are delighted to expand our repower offering to the coach market with the agreement of our first coach partnership with Westway Coaches. Westway is already a sustainability innovator in the sector and Equipmake will be accelerating its transition to zero emissions, with the first vehicle already converted and more set to be upgraded in the coming months.
“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.”
David West, Managing Director at Westway Coaches, said: “Operating a state-of-the-art fleet that is both sustainable and socially responsible is core to Westway Coaches. We are very happy to be partnering with Equipmake, a leader in the electrification space. Its innovative technology will play a vital role in supporting our goal of running a zero-emission fleet, operating coaches powered solely by electricity. On behalf of all at Westway, I am looking forward to seeing our first repowered coach begin in-service prototype testing in Q3 and building on that with further repowered vehicles very quickly.”
Entirely scalable and modular, Equipmake’s ZED can be applied to any coach from single to double-decker, with bespoke systems tailored to specific customer requirements, with routes simulated to ensure the optimum battery power level is selected to secure driving ranges of 180 to 220 miles.
Repowering is quick too. 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 coach – keeping a vehicle out of service for as little time as possible.
Repowering is also cost-effective, coming in at less than half the price of a new electric coach. With most coaches in service for 25 years or more, operators can make significant savings by repowering a vehicle halfway through its usable life. Switching to an electric powertrain has huge potential to reduce on-fleet running costs too, not just in terms of energy used but on servicing too, while Equipmake’s e-powertrain technology – which supports UK PLC with 76% British-built content – is ready today.
As infrastructure improves, electric coaches are natural candidates to take advantage of opportunity charging too. With vehicles often making a 30-minute stop in a motorway services, Equipmake sees 100kW fast-charging adding significant range in a short time, supplementing on-depot overnight charging where, adding further to the business case, an electric coach could present a Vehicle 2 Grid (V2G) opportunity too.
