Irizar’s aspirations in the EV market were made clear at the opening of its e-mobility factory in Aduna. It is vertically integrated and it will be capable of producing 1,000 vehicles per year when at full capacity
No ‘one size fits all’ solution exists for electric buses, and that is why Irizar believes that its EV range – the ie bus and the BRT-style ie tram – has a competitive advantage.
That was the message delivered last Friday (11 May) at the opening of Irizar e-mobility’s factory in Aduna. The facility’s size demonstrates that Irizar intends to become one of Europe’s major players in the electric bus field.
Irizar e-mobility is a subsidiary of Irizar Group. It is a completely separate business to that which builds integral coaches and bodywork, but where the two organisations have commonality is in the drawing down of best practice from other group subsidiaries.
Among them are companies specialising in climate control, design, driver assistance, and electrical infrastructure. All have been involved in taking Irizar’s electric bus aspirations from the drawing board to reality.
“We have progressed from being a bodybuilder to being a brand,” says Irizar Group CEO Jose Manuel Orcasitas. “Within the group, we have technology and sustainability. In our new e-mobility factory, customers will see sustainability. The move towards electric buses has started, is accelerating, and is not going to go away.”
Vertical integration
Irizar’s internal stakeholders, be they senior management in Spain or e-mobility representatives in the UK, believe that the ie models have a niche at the top of the market, where customisation is required. The manufacturer does not plan to compete on price with models from low-wage economies. Instead, it is selling buses based on their configurability and the quality of workmanship.
To enable it to deliver on those promises, the new e-mobility factory comes with some impressive figures. A €75m investment has delivered an 18,000m2 plant built on a plot of around twice that size, and when it is fully up to speed, Aduna will produce 1,000 electric vehicles per year.
The expertise of Irizar Group has been further leveraged in the production of batteries at the new factory. Individual cells are supplied by Toshiba, but work to turn them into roof-mounted energy storage packages is all done in-house in a segregated area.
Also produced at Aduna is support infrastructure. Irizar offers either overnight or fast charging on its electric buses, with the latter accomplished via pantograph-based opportunity replenishment. A pylon for this purpose is mounted outside the factory adjacent to a short test track.
What of the UK?
The ie bus built at Aduna was previously known as the i2e. Three are in the UK; two 12m examples with Go-Ahead London, and a 10.8m variant with Irizar UK as a demonstrator. None has opportunity charging capability, but it can be fitted to subsequent orders.
In both opportunity- and overnight-charged variants, batteries are added in increments of 75kW/h to a maximum of 150kW/h and 375kW/h respectively. Chemistry varies between the applications to suit the circumstances.
“All of the technology within the ie range is sourced in Europe,” says Irizar UK Business Development Manager – Bus Shaun Millar.
“The advantage of the way that Irizar builds electric buses is that they are tailored to the customer’s charging requirement. A key part of the EV strategy is that we first ascertain what the buyer needs. Then, we deliver it.”
Part of the battery element is that Irizar can retain ownership, and charge the operator under a leasing arrangement. That gives cost certainty. As technology advances, the agreement will include upgrades applied when necessary.
Complementing battery advances, efficiency gains are coming soon thanks to a new traction motor developed by Irizar Group subsidiary Alconza. When combined with improvements to heating and a reduction in weight, overall energy consumption will reduce by around 10%.
Irizar is pursuing a cautious range strategy. Rather than making headline claims, it instead focuses on a resilient figure that can be delivered in all but the most extreme of conditions. Between 200-220km is the current total, and that accounts for around 16 hours’ use.
Is the future here now?
Irizar UK’s demonstrator is currently with Menzies Aviation at Heathrow Airport, where it is used on car park shuttles. It often loads heavily, but both the manufacturer and the operator have been pleasantly surprised at its performance, says Strategic Advisor Mike Weston.
As with all electric buses, the ie range will be a slow burner in the UK. But Mike and Shaun are confident that if buyers focus on the benefits delivered by Irizar’s way of thinking, it will develop a presence here.
“It is clear that urban buses will become electric. What is not known is the timescale; politicians must realise that the change has to be funded. The passenger cannot be expected to pay,” adds Mike. “There is no right or wrong answer to the charging question. That’s why we offer a range of options, including overnight via pantograph.”
Irizar describes its electric bus product as one that is bespoke. Vehicles are part of a package, which includes consultancy and supply of associated infrastructure. With its new factory at Aduna, the Spanish manufacturer is now able to major on all of those.