Equipmake is a further party to enter the market for repower of Wrightbus StreetDeck diesel double-deckers to battery-electric, with a package that it says will deliver a range of up to 200 miles.
That will involve the fitment of 436kWh of lithium-ion battery storage and no reduction in passenger capacity, the supplier adds. Equipmake’s own electric motor that produces up to 3,500Nm of torque is part of the package. Conversions can be carried out in “under three weeks” and come in at a cost of under £200,000.
Work with the StreetDeck represents a further application of the Equipmake Zero Emission Drivetrain. It plugs into the prop shaft and includes power electronics and an inverter that like the motor are proprietary, along with a patented and “ultra-efficient” vehicle thermal management system.
The driveline equipment fits into existing space within the bus and charging is via DC through a standard CCS connection.
Equipmake CEO Ian Foley says that the Snetterton business has worked “incredibly hard” to develop its repower package to suit the Wrightbus StreetDeck.
Mr Foley claims that the package is “sector leading.” While Equipmake has not named any customers for the conversion, he adds that the business looks forward “to converting as many of these vehicles as possible in the coming months.” Such work will deliver claimed lower running costs and “a better experience for passengers and drivers.”
Equipmake has already committed to repowering open-top tour buses in the London market to battery-electric and it has also installed the same driveline into a fleet of 12 Optare Versa EVs with First York. Those buses were built new as battery-electrics but subsequently reengineered by Equipmake.
