Alexander Dennis and Volvo Buses explore tram-style electric articulated bus for UK rapid transit market
Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., is working with Volvo Buses to explore the development of a tram-style electric bus for the UK market.
As part of a feasibility study, Volvo Buses has made its BZL Electric articulated chassis available to Alexander Dennis to assess how it could be combined with the latter’s engineering expertise and UK manufacturing capability through a new body design, the Enviro Max. The articulated chassis is a higher-capacity format of Volvo’s established BZL Electric rigid platform.
The initiative is intended to assess appetite for a high-capacity, zero-tailpipe emission vehicle designed to support bus rapid transit corridors. By using existing road space and avoiding the need for rails, track beds and overhead line infrastructure, they present an attractive and cost-effective option for local authorities looking to enhance public transport capacity and connectivity.
Paul Davies, President & Managing Director at Alexander Dennis, said: “This feasibility work gives us an opportunity to consider how our experience in designing and building buses could be combined with Volvo Buses’ electric chassis technology. As part of this, we will be able to draw on the extensive experience that our NFI Group sister company New Flyer has with articulated buses.
“Our new Enviro Max would offer combined and local authorities a stunning zero-tailpipe-emission rapid transit solution that supports British manufacturing and benefits the wider economy by keeping investment in the country. We believe there is a role for bus rapid transit schemes alongside our conventional Enviro-family single and double-deck buses, and we look forward to engaging with customers and stakeholders to understand their requirements.”
Richard Mann, Sales Director at Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, said: “We are seeing increasing interest from local authorities in tram-style electric bus systems that can deliver the visibility, capacity and passenger appeal associated with tram-style systems, while offering a more flexible and lower-infrastructure route to delivery. Following the successful introduction of the Volvo BZL Electric articulated chassis in Australia earlier this year, we are now exploring with Alexander Dennis how this proven electric platform could support a tram-inspired product tailored to the UK market.”
Designed for high-capacity urban and interurban applications, the Volvo BZL Electric articulated chassis supports a complete vehicle length of around 18 metres for the proposed Enviro Max body configuration.
It offers a permitted gross vehicle weight of 30,000kg and is powered by Volvo’s EPT802 dual-motor driveline, delivering up to 400 kW of output and 850 Nm of torque, through a two-speed automated manual transmission. The chassis can be specified with up to 12 lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs, providing up to 530 kWh of installed energy, with charging options including CCS2 plugs at up to 250 kW and OppCharge pantographs at up to 450 kW.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro Max body will extend the proven benefits of the Enviro family’s body construction to a rapid transit solution, allowing operators to benefit from excellent maintenance access and parts commonality to make servicing and repairs easy.
The Enviro Max will blend form and function with an eye-catching design. It will offer inclusive spaces for all passengers and the manufacturers will work with stakeholders and customers to determine suitable vehicle layouts supporting operational requirements and existing infrastructure.
Volvo Buses and Alexander Dennis have a long-standing relationship in the UK bus market, including previous work on the high-capacity Enviro400XLB double-decker built on the Volvo B8L chassis. The feasibility study marks the next step in that partnership, focused on a new generation of ultra-efficient, high-capacity rapid transit vehicles.
