Equipmake is to repower 10 Ankai HFF6121 tri-axle open-top double-deckers in the Big Bus Tours fleet in London with its battery-electric driveline. The work represents an investment of £1.75 million in those buses, which date from 2012.
One is currently being converted and after return will be used by Big Bus for training and evaluation. All 10 are expected to be delivered by April 2024. They will each have 327kW/h of battery capacity, which Equipmake says will be sufficient to deliver a range of over 120 miles.
The supplier adds that each repower is expected to save around 90 tonnes of embedded CO2 compared to a newly-built battery-electric bus. “The contract further illustrates the growing financial and environmental demands for the repowering of existing vehicles by UK bus operators,” Equipmake continues.
CEO Ian Foley adds that the pilot bus currently under conversion represents an initial order that has since been expanded upon by Big Bus.
“We are delighted to be helping Big Bus reduce the emission of its fleet. This contract illustrates the growing demand for repowering vehicles, and the increasing shift towards clean, less polluting mass transport in our cities,” Mr Foley continues.
“We look forward to delivering Big Bus with a quality product that people visiting London from across the world will experience, as a demonstration of the possibilities that our pioneering electrification products and services can provide.”
Big Bus Tours Executive Vice-President Gerry Price says that work with Equipmake on the 10 Ankai buses is part of a planned transition of the operator’s fleet to zero-emission. He notes that the project is “a hugely exciting opportunity for us.”
Continues Mr Price: “Through innovation like this, we will be playing our part in improving the capital’s air quality and giving the hundreds of thousands of tourists who use our sightseeing services every year an even more enjoyable experience.”
Equipmake is already active in the London market, having repowered a Transport for London-owned New Routemaster to battery-electric in a pilot project. It is also carrying out the same task on a Van Hool tri-axle coach operated by Westway Coaches.
